IF IT LOOKS LIKE A DUCK, IF IT QUACKS LIKE A DUCK, IF IT WALKS LIKE A DUCK...

THEN it probably is a duck! ................................................................................................. I did receive an e-mail Thursday from one of the two reporters whom I contacted regarding why the recent story published in the New Hamburg Independent AND briefly put on-line in the Wateloo Region Record's synopsis of upcoming stories has as yet failed to be published in the hard copy K-W Record distributed in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Elmira. The one reporter advised that they felt that it would be published "tomorrow". Of course "tomorrow" was New Year's Day hence I felt that they actually meant today, Saturday, January 2, 2021. WELL IT'S NOT HERE IN ELMIRA AT LEAST AND I STILL EXPECT THAT ALERTED FRIENDS & COLLEAGUES IN KITCHENER & WATERLOO TO ADVISE ME IF IT SHOWS UP IN THEIR PAPERS. ................................................................................................................................. Now to further muddy (maybe) or possibly clarify what's going on. This same environmental reporter for the Record has in the interim had TWO OTHER environmental articles published in hard copy in the Record delivered to Elmira. WTF! On December 31/20 she had an article about a gravel pit near Shingletown (outside Kitchener) published and today is an excellent article regarding nitrogen uptake by wetlands. This is huge because while excess nitrogen has numerous negative environmental consequences such as elevated nitrites and nitrates in groundwater used for drinking water locally it is of particular concern to folks in Elmira. .................................................................................................. Here in Elmira we have ammonia contamination of our groundwater along of course with NDMA and so much more. Now for the chemically astute among us, guess the major components of both ammonia and NDMA. You got it: Nitrogen! Nitrates and nitrites are NO2 and NO3 (nitrogen & oxygen) and ammonia I believe is NH4 (nitrogen & hydrogen) and NDMA consists of nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, carbon otherwise known as N-nitrosodimethylamine. That we have excess nitrogen in our soils and groundwater is hardly a coincidence in a heavily rural and agricultural area. Fun fact: prior to Varnicolor Chemical discharging dimethylamine (NDMA precurser) into their subsurface soils; that site had been an extensive pig farm for decades readily discharging large quantities of pig urine and feces, just loaded with nitrogen. Get the picture? .................................................................................................... Meanwhile back to the major point. The Record's article last Sunday in the New Hamburg Independent (Dec. 27/20) was all about NDMA (correctly or not) being discussed at a recent (Dec. 10/20) RAC meeting as well as Dr. Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach's serious concerns about the Stroh property beside Lanxess Canada (formerly Uniroyal Chemical). It has yet to be published in the K-W Record here in Elmira. WHAT ARE THEY WAITING FOR? PERHAPS LANXESS OR THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT'S PERMISSION. It sure looks like a duck from here.