A TOTALLY DIFFERENT (NON-ENVIRONMENTAL) POSTING TODAY

 You mean there's more to life than Uniroyal/Lanxess? There's more to life than the Canagagigue Creek, pollution and corruption? Apparently so.  There's even more to life than the outrageous coverup that's been underway by our politicians and other authorities for the last three decades plus. Family is the obvious choice as well as provincial/federal politics and even current events such as the horrific recent killing of an OPP officer who apparently was going to the assistance of a driver whose car was in the ditch. 

So what is my topic today? Gun control in Canada. We've had it in one form or another at least since 1935. My understanding is that handguns in Canada have all by law been registered here for the last 87 years. Not only registered but some form of firearms license has been mandatory for as long as I've been old enough to own long guns. My recollection is that my very first rifle was purchased from Canadian Tire over fourty years ago. I know during the late 90s the Liberals mandated a long gun registry and that rifle was registered . I also recall that my father bought a used single shot .22 calibre rifle from a fellow employee of Uniroyal Chemical when I was just a kid. So that was likely more than sixty years ago. I inherited that rifle when my father passed and it too was registered courtesy of the Liberal Party of Canada. I even recall the name of the former owner and Uniroyal employee and I'm sure it will ring some bells locally. His name was "Spot" Fulcher. I have no idea where the nickname "Spot" came from. Not bad eh I've actually swung even this post around to Uniroyal Chemical.

So courtesy of federal legislation a couple of very old rifles have presumably both been registered and then later fallen out of any registry when the Conservatives got back in federally.  I can guarantee this : neither of those rifles has ever been used illegally or for any activity other than shooting tin cans or paper targets with an appropriate backstop. Meanwhile we have a 25 year old kid with a substantial history of anti-social behaviour including assaults on police officers who has been facing both firearms charges and assault charges for some time. He was out on bail and failed to attend court last September which further bought him a warrant for his arrest. Over two moths later and he still hadn't been tasken into custody. Oh and all his firearms were in his possession illegally. What the hell! Did our vaunted firearms laws do anybody any good whatsoever? I think not. And that's the rub. Laws are obeyed by most Canadians and ignored by most criminals. So keep on passing laws politicians but ignore the followup. i.e. the enforcement etc.

UNIROYAL & CHEMTURA EACH WALKED AWAY FROM UPAC/CPAC ONCE

 Both times our municipal politicians panicked and threw in the towel. This included private concessions despite denials to UPAC/CPAC members. In other words our municipal politicians went behind citizens' backs (yet again) to make private deals with the dirty polluters. The second time namely in late October 2014 was the most blatant and egregious. It occurred shortly after the municipal election when Chemtura knew that Todd Cowan was out and Sandy Shantz in and they were ecstatic. The first time, poor little Uniroyal had their wee feelings hurt by the air subcommittee of UPAC being mean to them! Ron Ormston, Susan and Pat had the nerve to suggest that Uniroyal really weren't trying hard enough. Can you imagine that? Just because four families were having their lives and health attacked by middle of the night emissions from Uniroyal (1998-2000), UPAC actually criticized Uniroyal Chemical suggesting that they knew full well what they were emitting in the middle of the night and that it needed to stop immediately.

It was occasional actions like this from UPAC, Pat & Susan which had forged my confidence in UPAC and Susan. I never really trusted Pat McLean and it certainly turned out for good reason. She was nothing but Bill Strauss's right hand man whether on or off Woolwich Council. The second walking resulted in Chemtura and the Ontario Ministry of Environment privately insisting upon the removal of CPAC members especially including the Chair Dr. Dan Holt and myself.  It was an outrageous and self-serving demand which only the most corrupt and stupid municipal Council would ever abide by. Of course Sandy and Mark Bauman gussied it up with serious lying about CPAC members which the previous Council had appointed.

THE ELMIRA CLEANUP - A LITANY OF INTENTIONAL COST CUTTING, COST SAVING, NATURAL ATTENUATION, SPREAD IT FAR & WIDE (Dilution & Distribution), PHONEY & SHAM INVESTIGATIONS COMBINED WITH JUNK & PSUDEO SCIENCE LIBERALLY ADDED TO THE MIX

 Where to start. The November 4, 1991 Control Order was never honestly followed.  DNAPLS on site were not removed. Full hydraulic containment in all aquifers was never even close to being achieved. Each and every investigation was inadequate, superficial and or the conclusions did not reasonably flow from the data presented. Junk science included intentional sampling from unlikely areas knowing that the results would be bogus. Sampling routinely suffered from locational biases such that the company and consultants sampled where they wanted to do future work not necessarily where the greatest concentration of contaminants were. Constant, never ending groundwater leakage from all aquifers has helped flush Uniroyal contamination both downstream and downgradient in various aquifers. Shallow aquifer hydraulic containment at best barely covered 1/4 of the site discharge to the Canagagigue Creek. Sediment sampling often consisted of open shovels versus proper closed core samplers. Method Detection Limits often exceeded the health criteria of either provincial or federal regulations thus hiding exceedances by pretending that they were Non-Detect (N.D.).  Initial DNAPL investigations included Brian Beatty using outdated criteria (10% Solubility Rule) by quoting another hydrogeologist out of context (i.e. Stan Feenstra). Fancy names such as Optimization were bandied about to pretend that their cost cutting efforts had something to do with efficiency. They didn't. Distraction, Delay and Obfuscation were employed gratuitously to keep citizens confused and compliant. Other sources were both denied and ignored as long as possible including Nutrite (Yara) and their Ammonia contributions to the Municipal Aquifers (MA). Varnicolor Chemical's various solvent contributions to the MA were also denied and kept hidden. Other sources such as former landfills have been kept very well hidden including refusing to supply UPAC/CPAC with written reports upon request. Thank you Woolwich Township for that. Varnicolor's Lot 91 "cleanup" was a disgrace because it was surrounded on three sides by Landfill Creek and the Canagagigue Creek which washed away the sins of both Varnicolor and the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Other contaminant sources around town including multiple gas stations as well as textile industries, manufacturing industries, trucking industries were all kept on the downlow so as not to further degrade the image of the Ontario MOE. Lastly more trees were killed in order to produce the most ridiculous consultant's reports possible over the decades. Neither municipal nor regional money was made available to UPAC or CPAC (RAC/TAG) to do proper peer reviews on the plethora of junk science reports produced by CRA and GHD over the decades simply because our politicians had their sweetheart deals in place and did not want to rock the boat. These sweetheart deals were never in the public interest. 

Other than that everything was just about O.K.!

WOW AMAZING GOOD FORTUNE FOR CHEMTURA OR WERE PAT & SUSAN WORKING ON THEIR BEHALF?

 I've reviewed the four incredible DNAPL reports by Jaimie Connolly (MOE) and Wilf Ruland (independent-eh sort of). Jaimie's were dated April 3, 2006 and  May 2, 2008 while Wilf's were each a couple of weeks afterwards of each of Jaimie's namely April 21, 2006 and May 15, 2008. In one sense I could take a cheap (but very appropriate) shot at Wilf for the timing of his two reports. Being able to beat the Ministry of Environment to the punch really isn't a big accomplishment but twice in a row following them seems odd. Or... my guess is that Wilf and Jaimie were the lone serious objectors to the never ending and on-going DNAPL coverup.  Wilf has never impressed me with his backbone. In my presence I have seen him bend over backwards, contort himself grotesquely and almost literally kiss his own ass rather than offend Conestoga Rovers, Uniroyal/Chemtura or the Ministry of Environment. However... when the MOE (i.e. Jaimie C.) are strongly criticizing Chemtura/CRA  and Wilf is not alone, then apparently things change. WOW do they ever! 

Both hydrogeologists have spanked Chemtura/CRA regarding their multiple failures pertaining to DNAPLS and LNAPLS. Both have criticized Chemtura for refusing to do some source removal of DNAPLS at specific locations both on the east and west sides of their property. Specific locations and waste pits/ponds are singled out and named including the evidence pointing to both residual and free phase DNAPL presence. Jaimie repeatedly hammers Chemtura for not stopping the flow of contaminants dissolved or otherwise through known "windows" between the Upper Aquifer (UA) and the Municipal Aquifers (MU & ML). He also points out contaminant flow from the MU to both the Municipal Lower (ML) and then into the Bedrock Aquifer (BR).

So exactly how did Chemtura get lucky (i.e. "amazing good fortune")?  These four letters from Jaimie and Wilf were given to CPAC (2011-2015) via Todd Cowan's Woolwich Township council/administration. Apparently Pat McLean as Chair of CPAC back in 2006-2008 didn't feel the need to distribute them to all CPAC members at the time which included me.  Susan Bryant suggested that I did not have e-mail at the time hence they weren't sent to me. Really? No fax, no snail mail, no personal handing them over at a CPAC meeting prior to my Pat & Susan induced boot from CPAC by Woolwich Council in February/March 2008? As for the two very timely May 2008 letters I was attending CPAC public meetings constantly even when not a member. They were NOT on the Agenda nor were they ever publicly discussed. As I said "amazing good fortune" for Chemtura because I would have roasted those lying scum if I had known which makes me ask the obvious question:                                                                               "DID PAT & SUSAN ACT ON THEIR OWN FOUL MOTIVES OR WERE THEY ASKED NICELY ($$ or otherwise) BY CHEMTURA & FRIENDS?

 

THIS IS WHY I POST HERE ABOUT ELMIRA, ONTARIO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Yesterday I did some looking back as in exactly one year ago to see what I was posting about. My goodness what a trip down memory lane.  It turns out that last Christmas I was posting about multiple DNAPL letters written by Jaimie Connolly and Wilf Ruland. Now there is quite a history around these letters however first let me say this. I have not recently written about either the contemptible Hawkridge Homes approval on Union St. across from both Lanxess Canada and from Sulco (CCC) nor have I posted about the apparently done deal at the former Paleshi Motors/U Pull It recycling/Bolender Park Landfill. 

Hawkridge first: All credit and kudos should go to Ron Koniuch (sp.?) of CCC for his and the company's efforts over not just years but at least a decade and a half or more attempting to stop a residential subdivision from being built literally across the road from heavy chemical industries.  This credit and kudos do not extend to Lanxess who dropped the ball possibly along with Chemtura and bailed on the fight. What the hell. It was Lanxess who have always been the greatest physical threat to nearby residents as well as to incoming families, not Sulco (CCC). Sulco have long ago sincerely embraced the *Responsible Care ethic  whereas Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura/Lanxess will embrace anything to polish their environmental image and possibly save them a nickel in cleanup costs.

After the Woolwich Council initiated departure of a thriving and well run business by Frank Rattasid we now have a much worse situation. Thank you past Woolwich Council for this. Hundreds of tractor trailers will be parking, entering and leaving the property at all hours of the day and night. Diesel exhaust fumes, noise and possibly fuel spills will follow. None of this was necessary. I think Woolwich Observer that you need to update your readers as to both the new reality as well as to the politics behind it.

I do suggest that readers go back via the Archives section of this Blog (right side) and check out some December 2021 postings. My recollection also is that there was an admission by Susan Bryant at TAG back then along the lines of ...no Ramin Ansari's (Lanxess) comments about all parties being satisfied with the DNAPL resolution was not fully accurate. There is also the slight problem about these DNAPL letters disappearing way back when. By disappearing I mean basically the very supportive of my position on Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquids (DNAPLS) two letters each from Jaimie C. (MOE) and Wilf R. (private hydrogeologist) were not made readily available to either myself or the public prior to my DNAPL (not Ammonia Treatment System) removal from CPAC in 2008. Very, very convenient Pat and Susan you pair of manipulative back stabbers and worse.

Eventually all the facts will become public knowledge and Uniroyal/Lanxess and fellow travellors will be held in appropriate contempt by all. Even by those who personally benefited along the way.   

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL (Yesterday)

FURTHER YET TO BE CLARIFIED DISGUSTING REVELATIONS ON THE FORMER UNIROYAL CHEMICAL SITE (ELMIRA)

 Some of these revelations literally took decades to come to light. This is primarily due to intentional obtuseness if not outright obfuscation by the guilty parties. Please check out the "anonymous" comment posted on my last Thursday Elmira Advocate posting. The reference to "...oldtimers north-east of town..." talking about the oozing and flowing of liquid wastes onto the Stroh property is both interesting and revealing. There are lots of folks older than I who knew, saw and remember the bad old days. Lanxess may wrongly think that all these "oldtimers" are gone but they are not. 

I particularly found the reference to flowing onto the Stroh property and then flowing into the gravel pit to be interesting. Which gravel pit? Ahh but that is the question. Uniroyal and their hired guns, Conestoga Rovers, seemed to have no problem making a particular gravel pit (GP-1) get up and walk to wherever they wanted it to be. An examination of various maps produced by CRA/Uniroyal over the decades is illuminating. Also illuminating are other maps produced in the 1980's, earlier and later by outside parties that seemed to have a different opinion about various gravel pits on and off the Uniroyal property. Keep in mind that the Stroh property itself has a gravel pit. 

These very convenient and self-serving relocations of gravel pits are the stuff of corporate fantasies. This is yet one more reason why properties that are directly attached to public aquifers and public rivers, creeks and streams (and air) should not be treated by our governments as some sort of sancrosanct, inviolable, a man's home is his castle bullsh.t. Furthermore our "captured" public regulators (MOE/MECP) should also not have a monopoly on attending contaminated sites whether private or public (DND-Dept of National defence) etc. This makes "creative" solutions way to attractive to polluters. We learned early on that Varnicolor Chemical was literally hiding behind the lies of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) in Elmira. They counted on the long culpable MOE not to further damage their own reputation by either pointing fingers or by admitting to their own lack of control of Elmira polluters. 

Uniroyal and fellow travellors have long claimed that overflowing Uniroyal east side liquid wastes flowed directly into their favourite position of GP-1 (gravel pit 1) which was on the west side of the high NW to SE diagonal ridge of land. They simply redrew maps of the gravel pit to where it suited their narrative best. Their narrative was never going to be that they intentionally or otherwise caused/allowed their toxic wastes to flow directly onto their neighbour's property. Especially not in large quantities and over a period of decades (1945- 1970 approx.). 

How utterly convenient when governments are so accommodating to the fantasies, wishes, preferences and desires of industry. Even polluting industry.     

INTERCEPTOR TRENCH REFRESHER COURSE

 Slurry walls, interceptor trenches, the Waterloo Wall etc. are all variations of a type of remediation for contaminated groundwater. Some of these "walls" may have iron filings for example which interact with various chemical contaminants in groundwater. Hence the groundwater is in a sense filtered by the chemical interactions as it works its way through the wall. Some slurry walls may actually be for the purpose of stopping groundwater flow or even funneling or changing its' direction. Interceptor trenches can be for the purpose of redirecting contaminated groundwater possibly for treatment or discharge elsewhere. Interceptor trenches can also have chemically reactive components in them to effect treatment of passing contaminated groundwater.

Google Earth maps, satellite photos as well as simple aerial photographs have exposed some weird sh.t on the surface of the former Uniroyal Chemical site. Basically it is a series of straight lines running from north to south over on the east side of the Uniroyal/Lanxess site.  They then run south-east over to the Stroh property due north of where the steel conduit protrudes from several feet below grade and discharges into the extreme north end of the Stroh Drain, Ditch & Berm. (SDDB). 

Logically and practically it makes sense for Uniroyal Chemical to have constructed this bypass if you will. Shallow groundwater flowing westwards downhill from the east side waste ponds (RPE 1-5) towards the Canagagigue Creek appears to have been intercepted and via gravity flow redirected south and east to the Stroh property. To date any "explanations" from either the MECP or Chemtura/Lanxess have at best been pathetic and at worse patronizing bullsh.t.   

Further lending credence to the likelihood of this being a form of Interceptor Trench are drawings submitted to the Environmental Appeal Board by Uniroyal Chemical suggesting that the east side waste pits didn't need to be excavated as their contaminated migrating groundwater could be contained via these trenches presumably for later treatment. Hmmm???  

A serious *Responsible Care company would have fully answered these questions eight years ago versus still not yet.

ISSUES TEMPORARILY SET ASIDE RAMIN/LANXESS: NOT FORGOTTEN NOR FORGIVEN

 Do polluters enjoy looking over their shoulders? Do they perhaps relish the chase? Are they so arrogant that they believe that money will ALWAYS protect them from accountability?  Or are they simply hoping that they personally will be retired/dead before the shoe hits the floor?

How about politicians? Surely they must realize that as slim as the odds are of even a tiny bit of their bullsh.t being exposed at least some of it will come back to haunt them. Blatant lies let's see like "free trade" and globalization have reduced the quality of life around the world. Then there's what was described yesterday in the Record as blatant vote getting by federal politicians (Trudeau/Liberals) hidden under the guise of public safety is what new "gun control" legislation is all about. Canadians are at high risk of dying from cancer, heart disease, automobile accidents, respiratory diseases from polluted air with lesser risks such as plane crashes, dementia and falls. Somewhere way down the list is getting shot by either a thief looking to mug you or by a jealous husband.  I suspect that Canadian women may even have a higher risk of sexual assault by a stranger than they do of being victims of gun crime. Of what benefit to Canadians is deceiving them as to the risks around us?     

So what issues have been set aside by Lanxess and Ramin Ansari? One is the likely Interceptor Trench or equivalent on the east side of their property. The other is the phony location of former gravel pit GP-1. Both are related to the intentional, possibly even agreed upon by all parties, bypass of the Uniroyal site with contaminated flow of both surface and groundwater from the former waste pits (RPE 1-5) onto the Stroh property/farm. Even if the long gone, deceased senior Strohs agreed ($$??) why do I suspect that the further downstream/downgradient Martin farm and property had no say in the matter?

Not forgotten, not forgiven. Some of that crap ended up in the Martin swimming pond. Were all the children who swam in it ever financially compensated? Has their health ever been assessed on the basis of exposure to Uniroyal toxins? I doubt it.  Until the day I die I will still be chasing you filth. Oh excuse me that's not a "professional" comment. My bad.

GREENWASHING FOREVER: LANXESS, CAPP?, 3M

 Yesirree I sure do love it when our dirtiest, most recalcitrant polluters put their heads together to produce their world class puffery, horse manure and heavy duty bullsh.t. Hmm is it really bullsh.t if it looks like bullsh.t, smells like bullsh.t, comes from the back end of a bull BUT it's green in colour? I've been watching the recent television ads telling Canadians that the six largest petroleum producers are now working together to research improved "carbon capture" methods. Ooh how exciting is that? Why do I strongly suspect this is just an attempt to circumvent federal carbon capture requirements already in the pipe? Why would any reasonable Canadian be skeptical that the Canadian Assoc. of Petroleum Producers might be even slightly less than enthusiastic to limit the very profitable and self-serving  damage they've done to both the environment and human health for the last one hundred years?

3M according to today's Waterloo Region Record are attempting to phase out polyfluroalkyl substances known as PFAS from their consumer products such as non-stick frying pans, water-repellant sports gear, stain-resistant rugs, and cosmetics within two years. Never mind that the environmental and human damage from these substances has been known for many years we certainly wouldn't want to interrupt any more than necessary 3M's profits now would we. As I recall Dupont is also a big contributer to PFAS and also possibly PFOS and a movie was produced starring Mark Ruffalo a few years ago. Apparently Hollywood are much faster at responding to these human tragedies than corporate America is.

Finally we have the Lanxess Canada site in Elmira, Ontario. It was formerly owned by Chemtura, Crompton and finally Uniroyal Chemical. All four companies are masters of greenwashing albeit they long ago learned to capture their regulators first and foremost. This not only includes the dishonourable Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP) but also local and regional governments if at all possible. Once you've made your early sweetheart deals it's all easy sailing afterwards. Pay for a new water pipeline, negotiate a cleanup such that the previous culpability of those very same regulators and authorities also put them on the financial hook thus giving them an incentive to always pick the cheapest and least effective cleanup method and you are golden. Really what's a little conflict of interest between friends? Once you've eliminated local governments and bureaucracies as adversaries then all you are left with is the local citizens. Again via manipulation, outright lying, co-opting certain special citizens to your cause and having your partners and fellow travellors publicly elevate and promote your special citizen friends you can sell the public almost any pile of crap.  

NEXT TAG MEETING SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 26, 2023

 TAG of course stands for Technical Advisory Group. Yes they have done some good work and yes at times they have rolled over and avoided confrontation or dispute at all costs. The Stroh Drain coverup is but one glaring example of that despite Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach's best efforts to shine a light on that cesspool. TAG have oh so gently, thoughtfully and kindly made comments almost approaching criticisms on other aspects of the Creek investigation as well. Generally I am in agreement with their comments and almost criticisms but am appalled at their temerity and tip toeing around the obvious. 

TAG have actually suggested that maybe, just maybe the sampling on the Stroh property has been inadequate. Other than along the shared property line with Lanxess there have been exactly zero soil samples taken further south anywhere near the Stroh Drain. There have been allegedly four different locations in the Stroh Drain where sediments in the bottom have been sampled. In reality one sample location occurred closer to the northern end of the Drain and the other three are all much further south close to the Canagagigue Creek. These three are also due west of the Martin swimming pond. Yes both DDD and dioxin/furans have been found in excess of federal criteria. One concentration actually exceeded the criteria by thirty times but this smoking gun has been ignored by TAG  (except Sebastian) to TAG's undying shame. 

TAG and their Chair also covered up my written Delegation to them which included topographical maps and more proving that overland flow of wastewaters primarily went south-east onto the Stroh property versus due south into GP-1 (gravel pit 1). This is but one more smoking gun that friends, colleagues, clients and fellow travellors are pretending doesn't exist in order to smooth Lanxess and the MECP's path to walking away from this unremediated environmental disaster. No debates or serious public discussions have occurred at TAG on these matters and full credit goes to TAG Chair Tiffany Svensson as well as Mayor Sandy Shantz. Together they have guaranteed Woolwich Township's future reputation as the Dogpatch of Waterloo Region. 

MAJOR SHOUT OUT TO BOB BURTT: LESS SO TO ONE WHO ALMOST SINGLEHANDEDLY SOLD THE CLEANUP DOWN THE GRAND RIVER

 Today's Waterloo Region Record has an article written by Terry Pender titled "New book calls on citizens to monitor drinking water supplies". This new book is titled "Water Our Sacred Trust" and is authored by Bob Burtt, a former Waterloo Region Record environmental reporter.  Terry Pender's article is absolutely excellent and raises a number of issues that have been either ignored or buried here in Waterloo Region for decades. The sub-title to this Record article says it clearly : "Bob Burtt's new book, "Water: Our Sacred Trust" raises questions about municipal water supplies as the population increases in Waterloo Region." It certainly does raise uncomfortable and long ignored questions.

 Backstabbing, manipulation, politicking, isolating your opponents, you name it, she practiced it. It didn't even matter if her opponents themselves were unaware that their goals or interests somehow conflicted with hers. She had strategic allies along the way including Sylvia Berg, Pat McLean and possibly even Regional Chair Ken Seiling. I too was a strategic ally for exactly as long as she felt that I could assist her goals whatever they were. She sold out a number of APTE members along the way including Rich Clausi, Dr. Henry Regier, Esther Thur, myself and only possibly Susan Rupert. While I have the utmost respect for Susan Rupert, her departure from APTE spelled the beginning of the end for that organization's success despite other wonderful members still being involved.

Bob Burtt refers to climate change as the biggest threat to the Grand River and salt as the biggest issue with our groundwater. I might quibble although Bob himself makes it clear that industrial solvents in groundwater have damaged and closed drinking wells in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Elmira. He correctly advises that ""I think they have come to realize that aquifers will never be cleaned up," said Burtt of the ongoing Elmira contamination."  Bob also promotes the role of Citizen scientists/watchdogs as well as hammering our current Premier Ford for his "...continuous assault on the environment".

So what was her motivation? Personal fame, status, influence? Or was it cleaning up the Canagagigue Creek? Well her methods certainly backfired regarding the Creek. The so called Risk Assessment (HHERA) to date is a total crock with little or no serious cleanup planned. Just when local allies are most important she is somewhat bereft. Yes there are new allies involved with local tree planting (Tweec) as well as one or two APTE members still kicking such as Shannon P. S. and Sandra Bray but I've seen nothing for decades of the former APTE coordinators. I assume they have all backed off and let Susan carry the ball for the last 15 - 20 years. My prediction still stands in that Lanxess and the Ministry (MECP) will throw Susan a bone for her past assistance to them by agreeing to do a token cleanup of at least one "hotspot" likely the one located in the Canagagigue by New Jerusalem Rd. This will be trumpeted as a major victory for citizen participation, for Susan and for the environment. In reality it is no such thing. It is a sham and a facade just as the whole "investigation" of the Creek has been. It barely scratches the surface of an environmental disaster that has been managed and manipulated from the beginning by politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen. 

Irony of ironies. Unless Bob Burtt has recently seen the light he has been one of Susan's biggest supporters for decades.

MORE ON THE NOVEMBER PROGRESS REPORT

 

Apparently Lindane and Aniline groundwater concentrations are slightly decreasing over time on the former Uniroyal Chemical site. Or at least they are somewhat decreasing in the areas tested which consist of the MISA (Municipal Industrial Strategy for Abatement)  outlets into the Canagagigue Creek. The ongoing and likely forever legacy of this site are all the other toxic chemicals on site which will always leach/dissolve into flowing groundwater and migrate either off-site or into pumping wells (when they are running properly) where some treatment occurs before they are discharged into the Canagagigue Creek.   

SOME of these other chemicals include the following as listed in this Progress Report as groundwater concentrations.

Supplementary Sample Analytical Results November 2022 LANXESS Canada Co./Cie Elmira, Ontario 

Page 1 of 1 Sample Location: GCI GCE Sample Date: 11/1/2022 11/1/2022 Parameter [µg/L] Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) 

Benzene 10.8 ND(0.20),  Chlorobenzene 3020 ND(0.20),  1,1-Dichloroethane 0.38 ND(0.20) 

Ethylbenzene 3.57 ND(0.20),   Toluene 1.47 ND(0.20),   m/p-Xylenes [1] 0.71 ND(0.40),   

o-Xylene [1] 0.68 ND(0.20),   Aniline 29.2 ND(2.0),   Benzothiazole 21.3 ND(2.0),  

 Carboxin (Oxathiin) 6.69 ND(0.10),   2-Chlorophenol 6.18 ND(0.30),  

 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole 196 ND(20),   2,4-Dichlorophenol 0.38 ND(0.30),  

 2,6-Dichlorophenol 1.91 ND(0.50),   2,4,5-Trichlorophenol ND(0.50) ND(0.50), 

 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol ND(0.50) ND(0.50)

 Notes: GCI Carbon Tower Influent. GCE Carbon Tower Effluent. ND(RDL) Not detected at the associated reporting detection limit. [1] Samples analyzed for m,p-Xylenes and o-Xy

As a sidenote the concentrations plus incredible numbers of different compounds certainly indicate the presence of both LNAPLS and DNAPLS (free phase) whether or not Lanxess/MECP and other fellow travellors will confirm or not. Also [ug/l=ppb] =parts per billion hence all concentrations are parts per billion.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE NOVEMBER (ALLEGED) PROGRESS REPORT

Well Lanxess have denied that failing to achieve the Target pumping rates for the on-site Municipal Aquifers (MU) as set by their own consultants is not a problem. Maybe not for them and their pocketbooks but I disagree otherwise as explained here a few days ago.   I believe their on-site MU pumping was 4.2 litres per second with a Target Rate of 4.7 l/sec and their off-site pumping including ALL off-site pumping wells was over 70 litres per second. Yes that included pumping a mile away in the south end of Elmira at E7 but it also included pumping at 15.3  l/sec at W9 due west of the Lanxess site (near Union St.). Lanxess need to do a better job of defending their claims of no issues or no problems in maintaining hydraulic containment of contaminated groundwater on their Elmira site. 

COP15 ? BIODIVERSITY CONFERENCE

 I hope that I've got that title right. Anyhow I read the article in today's Waterloo Region Record and I think I understand what the poorer and less developed countries are saying. Generally the wealthier countries are in the northern half of the globe and the poorer in the southern half eg. Africa and the southern half of South America etc. I also understand that the dramatically reduced biodiversity around the world is very much in the northern, wealthier and more developed parts so exactly why should the southern half of the world be paying as much as the northern part who have caused much of their own loss of biodiversity through either poor planning or thoughtless development at the expense of habitat, clean water, air etc.

On a similar note perhaps...If I am appalled at how power, money and political influence adversely affect environmental cleanups here in Ontario, Canada then what the hell must environmental cleanups look like in Mexico, the Middle East, India and China? Way back in the 1980s our Ontario Ministry of the Environment was nicknamed the Ministry of Lumps & Colours. Their main goal then was to remove liquid industrial discharges from our rivers and streams that either had solids in them or were grossly coloured perhaps like the stories I've heard of the Canagagigue Creek running orange in colour.  I'm guessing that this was courtesy of Uniroyal Chemical but maybe Borg or another textile company contributed. Who knows? Also I expect that the Ministry of Lumps and Colours was tasked to get rid of all the phosphates producing "suds" in our waterways.

Nowadays the Canagagigue Creek may not look like a pristine northern Ontario river but neither does it have the stench of solvents or other obvious chemicals in it. In one sense as the Creek has gotten cleaner it may have gotten more dangerous as local parents can visibly see less pollution. This of course hides the dioxins/furans, PCBs, DDT and mercury in the Creek which are all highly dangerous. Combine that with the puffery and environmental drivel coming from the MECP (Ministry of Expanded Corporate Pollution) as well as Lanxess about there only being "acceptable" risks in the Creek and citizens are easily fooled. Maybe this is the only difference between our pollution and third world countries' pollution. Ours is much less visible and obvious. Appearances are everything to the professional liars. 

HOW CAN LANXESS SQUARE THE VISIBLY CRINGEWORTHY, ODOUROUS CIRCLE?

 Firstly I'm not even sure that squaring the circle is the proper metaphor. Maybe a better expression would be a reference to an idea or statement failing the smell test. Or even the very old if it quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck and looks like a duck, it probably is a duck. All of this is regarding how on earth above and beyond shameless lying and horse manure are Lanxess ever going to convince the public, much less any authorities, that there has been appropriate and proper public consultation in Elmira/Woolwich's thirty plus years of the "...cheapest, least effective" form of environmental cleanup? 

Oh wait, they and their predecessors are indeed masters of obfuscation with a minor in advanced horse manure. This is combined with inappropriate sweetheart deals between Uniroyal Chemical and Woolwich Township, Uniroyal and the Ministry of Environment, Uniroyal and the Region of Waterloo etc. Do you notice a pattern here? The political manoeuvring long preceded any attempts at cleanup. So to put it simply the guiltiest of all the parties negotiated self-serving deals with the only slightly less guilty political parties absolving themselves, with only modest financial "reparations", of blame, real public consultation and first class restoration of the natural environment which they destroyed. This natural environment included both deep and shallow groundwater, air, soils, surface water (Canagagigue) and the bottom sediments and creekbank soils.

So they've already succeeded with "convincing" our authorities. Now can they convince an increasingly and appropriately skeptical general public that right has been done? They will hire only the best intellectual prostitutes for that job.     

FURTHER ENVIRONMENTAL UPDATES FROM LAST WEEKS RAC MEETING

 RAC - Remediation Advisory Committee - Yeah right!

You decide if the following is a 1 out of 10 or a 9 out of 10 in significance. Sandy as Chair introduced Agenda Item 5. "HHERA Updates - Lanxess" and she couldn't advise what HHERA stood for. Yes I was offended because 1) I already believe she's ignorant and uninformed  and 2) come on this HHERA (Human Health & Ecological Risk Assessment has been on the Agenda constantly for the last two to three years.

Ramin Ansari of Lanxess advised that Lanxess and GHD are still waiting on the commercial laboratory for the soil and earthworm results from the samples taken early in the fall.  These allegedly are to provide clarity as to maybe the extent of dioxin/furans and DDT being uptaken biologically from the site. Seems to me to be "busy" work to help cover up more important data gaps elsewhere.

Regarding the 2028 groundwater cleanup deadline Ramin again advised that it won't be met and that he did not know when it would be. He suggested that the issue wasn't discussed much in 2022 with the focus being on the HHERA. He agreed that options for dealing with the deadline need to be discussed and Tiffany had thrown out the possibility of what she referred to as REDOX. I believe that may be a chemical/heat reaction involving removing oxygen hence breaking down various contaminants. Dioxins/furans come to mind as my understanding is that dioxins have two oxygen molecules and furans one. Tiffany or Ramin also mentioned that Dr Jackson (1st TAG Chair) had discussed In Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) as a form of source removal although neither mentioned his serious criticism of the efforts of Chemtura /CRA with that effort..  

Briefly swinging back to Lanxess not meeting the on-site Target groundwater pumping rates my notes indicate that Ramin said that if you "...relax off-site then on-site can be reduced as well." That is different from the conversation he and I had later when he was talking and agreeing that total off-site pumping  was actually a little higher than it had been historically for many years. 

Ramin also made it clear that Lanxess currently believe that on-site pumping will be ongoing "in perpetuity." I guess my concern is how much on-site pumping. For example pumping and treating one or two litres per second from the Municipal Aquifer on site ten years from now will simply end up splitting the otherwise full migration of contaminated groundwater such that a portion moves off-site, downgradient untreated and another portion is contained, treated and discharged into the Canagagigue Creek.  

REAL PUBLIC CONSULTATION REGARDING THE REDUCTIONS IN ON-SITE (UNI/LANXESS) PUMPING WOULD LOOK LIKE THIS

 Real versus pretend public consultation that is. Real versus lip service public consultation. Real public consultation versus set up, hand picked (Sandy/ Lanxess/ MECP), company friendly appointees. Cherry picked citizen appointees are not all co-opted, biased company men and women. They are not all anti-environment, pro development, frothing at the mouth Republicans (sorry U.S.). Maybe a few are but give some credit to world class, multi-national, multi-billion dollar companies for some brains. You appoint a Sebastian from the last CPAC specifically because he has a well deserved reputation for both honesty and a calm demeanour. Yes he has a strong sense of duty and responsibility but he also has a built in adherence to authority and to deferring to professionals in fields that he is not a professional. My understanding is that Sebastian teaches possibly both business classes as well as I believe History. I would call him expert in both and I doubt that he would back up or accept bland assurances from a fellow expert in those fields without very strong evidence being presented. It's a different story however with Hydrogeology, Biology, Hydrology and Chemistry as these are not his areas of expertise. Experts in those fields are bought and paid for by Lanxess Canada and some of them frankly are full of bullshit and rely on their credentials and degrees to bull through utter nonsense. Ministry of Environment (MECP) "experts" are also very careful as to how far they will go disagreeing with either Lanxess or their consultants (GHD), less due to scientific reasons and more due to political reasons. Past sweetheart agreements between the MECP and Uniroyal combined with mutually culpable, embarrassing and even possibly civil liability issues come to mind. 

Other citizen appointees may be less noble than Sebastian and accept appointments after being vetted by their employers who rely on MECP good will and or Lanxess/GHD good will for present and future business. Again others have been brought in with zero knowledge of the history of the 1989 Elmira Water Crisis and are easily led down the garden path of alleged corporate responsibility and good will. 

Besides a vastly different members makeup there are other changes required in this particular issue of on-site groundwater pumping failures both in the Municipal Aquifer (MU) PW4 & 5 but also with the shallow aquifer pumping system (UACTS). Ramin and Lanxess need to back up their sent down from heaven, Moses like Commandments with actual hard data. Yes my apologies to busy professionals (committee members) in that it would require more background reading and time commitment but to put it bluntly either crap or get off the pot and let those of us with both the expertise and the time to step up and do the work. Ramin should have presented written Tables of past pumping rates for wells PW4 & 5 as well as for the shallow aquifer pumping wells or at least the total for them. In other words a basis for comparison for both the deep (MU) and the shallow aquifers. Once everybody agreed that there has been a significant decrease in on-site pumping then further data provided by Ramin (Lanxess) somehow proving that there has been LESS nearby off-site Municipal Aquifer (MU) pumping would add weight to his bold statements that Target Rates (MU) set by HIS consultants are not significant/important. In other words Ramin, put it in writing and prove your claims as well as allowing real debate by informed citizens on the matter versus rubber stamping by busy professionals who do NOT want to raise a ruckus or red flags.

SECOND LOOK AT STRANGE SENSATIONS - THURSDAY'S RAC MEETING

 O.K. I've done my due diligence. Officially I think that Ramin (Lanxess) once again have found yet another shortcut/money saver. Why would I not expect that he's on a corporate bonus system that rewards him for each and every dollar saved on the cleanup? His employers are not saints nor are they a non-profit charity. They sure as hell aren't even in a particularly clean business as proven by them and their colleagues (Dupont, Union Carbide and so many more). Sure you can put lipstick on a pig and just like the CIAC (formerly CCPA)  pretend that *Responsible Care fixes everything. It helps yes but a rogue or irresponsible chemical company are just going through the motions. 

Here's what I found out. As expected the distance of off-site pumping wells from the Uniroyal/Lanxess site varies dramatically. In order of closeness to the site we have W5A/B, W8, W9, W4, W6A/B, W3, E7/9. W5A/B I expect is within 100 yards/metres of the stinking, contaminated pigpen ....(oops don't want to sound biased from three decades plus of being lied to)  so let's just say from the property. The farthest wells however (E7/E9) are approximately a mile away. Keep in mind that despite this distance  pumping at E7/9 does affect (lowers) municipal groundwater levels on the site hence a very direct hydraulic connection. 

So what I did was quite straightforward. I have maintained Tables of pumping results for both on and off-site pumping wells, gleaned from the monthly alleged Progress Reports since 1992. Looking through them many trends are obvious such as the pathetic overall off-site pumping as promised to both the public and to CPAC both twenty-five years ago and specifically in November 2012, a decade ago. No wonder they aren't going to meet their 2028 commitments.  Also pathetic are the recent (last couple of years) incremental decreases in pumping of the UACTS (Upper Aquifer Containment & Treatment System). Anything to save a nickel although I expect that Ramin has an answer for the likely/probable ongoing leakage of Uniroyal contaminants into the Canagagigue Creek as well.  

What I see as the largest volume changes in off-site pumping over the years is the decrease from approx. 13-15 litres/second to 0 l/sec at well W4 located just west of the former Varnicolor Chemical site on Union St. Notice where W4 is located in relative distance from Uni/Lanxess. Then we have the long delayed arrival of pumping well W9 on the scene. It is not only located closer to Uni/Lanxess but it is cross-gradient versus further downgradient as W4 is. W9 didn't really get going until August 2021 other than a few months in mid 2019. Currently W9 is pumping between 13 to 16 l/sec. and I emphasize is CLOSER to the Uni/Lanxess site. Now the relatively recent additions  of wells W8 and W6A/B are mostly irrelevant in regards to affecting on-site containment because of their tiny pumping rates. We are talking .07-.09 l/sec for W8 and W6A/B a total of less than 1.0 l/sec. and it is much further away than W8. Also I've looked carefully at W5A/B which are the very closest off-site pumping wells. Generally their pumping rates have been stable over time (8-9 l/sec) with occasional bouts of melancholia reducing one pump or the other.

So the net result I see in off-site pumping rates are slightly more pumping from a well closer to the site (W9) combined with the reduction to Zero l/sec at W4. This therefore using Ramin's logic that he discussed at RAC last Thursday should have caused either no change in on-site pumping to maintain hydraulic containment or at most a small increase. Instead there has been a steady decrease for the last thirteen or fourteen months. Hence I'm not buying his explanation and leaning towards mine of saving a nickel on cleanup costs even to the point of going backwards and losing hydraulic containment of higher on-site contaminated groundwater leaking off-site.

STRANGE SENSATIONS - YESTERDAY'S RAC MEETING

 I mean really???  After both Sandy and Ramin seemed interested in provoking feedback, engagement, discussion from RAC members why wouldn't I put up my hand to ask a question? Just because the terms of reference are reprehensible? Just because any politician in an allegedly democratic country should be appalled and ashamed to have gone along with this blasphemy and putrid process? Just because the stench of corruption and rot now permeate the entire alleged cleanup of both the Elmira Aquifers and of the Canagagigue Creek? So up went my hand despite past attempts being stifled. That is especially easy to do when it is a virtual meeting and the corrupt organizers control the mute switches, video switches and on-off switches. 

Sandy paused, briefly looked strained and said "O.K. Alan". What followed was a straightforward question regarding Ramin Ansari's statement that failing to achieve the Target pumping Rates was not an issue at all. Ramin confirmed that indeed my numbers and "mathematics" were correct regarding both on and off site pumping and regarding both past and present Municipal Aquifer pumping. He suggested however that spatial considerations trumped actual pumping rates. In other words greater pumping rates further from the site did not require an increased pumping response from on-site pumping wells. 

So what I'm left with is this. I need to closely examine my decades old Tables with thirty years of pumping data on them. From those it should be relatively clear if Ramin has a point or not. I have long known exactly where each and every pumping well is located and what their pumping values are. From memory I am skeptical of Ramin's latest claim but wish to confirm one way or the other via carefully examined past data whether or not it has credibility.

WERE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE ELMIRA WATER CRISIS TOO HOT TO HANDLE FOR LOCAL POLITICIANS?

Were the long term health implications minimized in favour of maximizing the long term survival of both past and present municipal and regional politicians? Never has there been a public release of a health study nor even of population wide health statistics.  Never has there been a formal comparison of say the Elmira population with the rest of Waterloo Region. Never has there been any comparison of downstream Canagagigue Creek Mennonite farm families health with that of other rural farm families in Waterloo Region or elsewhere. Why Not?

Why have I suggested that municipal and regional politicians are very afraid of the truth not to mention provincial ones? Is it because all the facts and data were well known literally two decades prior to the alleged "discovery" of NDMA in Elmira's drinking water in November 1989? These facts included that the aquifers under Uniroyal Chemical in Elmira were directly connected to both the North and South Wellfields. These facts included that NDMA was prevalent, in fact ubiquitous, in and around rubber and chemical manufacturing facilities. These facts included that both on land burial of chemical wastes and river disposal had been known to contaminate drinking water miles away as well as river systems for hundreds of miles downstream in Europe since the 1880s. Other facts included that NDMA which according to Uniroyal's Wally Ruck "was not in our vocabulary" had been found in Uniroyal Chemical's wastewater in the 1970s as well as in the air around their plant for just as long. 

All of this speaks to incompetence or worse approaching the level of gross negligence. This was a multi national, multi billion dollar chemical company. They owned and had the chemical expertise. Their background included knowledge of European chemical manufacturing. They knew the risks and the probabilities of serious environmental and human health damage in Elmira, Ontario. As did any local politicians who did five minutes worth of due diligence. And yet it was full speed ahead with minimal proper safeguards and maximum puffery and obfuscation towards concerns and criticism.   

TELL ME IT ISN"T SO MATILDA!

 Are the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP) coming clean as per their comments posted here yesterday? Or as was suggested a couple of decades ago was a certain, obstrepterous old man who greatly reversed his environmental position having a stroke? We hope not.  The Ministry (MECP) are hinting that all the NDMA in the Elmira Aquifers primarily came from the Uniroyal Chemical east and west side pits prior to 1970 but after that they aren't so sure as to how much beneath the pits was contributing to the NDMA in the Elmira Municipal Aquifers. Holy Crap!

Is it possible that Varnicolor Chemical took up the slack otherwise known now as the NDMA "deficit" and were responsible for most of it from 1970 onwards? Up until now the debate was whether Varnicolor Chemical were a significant contributor of NDMA to the Elmira drinking water aquifers. If this proves to be true, and yes there is lots of evidence of NDMA being generated at the Varnicolor site, then this will stand the Elmira Water Crisis on its head.

 There certainly has been a known chlorobenzene "deficit" for a number of years. It was discovered by a U. of Waterloo hydrogeologist and professor who authored the Conceptual Site Model (CSM) document. My recollection (perhaps foggy) was that something like 1200 kg. or more of chlorobenzene was mathematically determined to be present in the Elmira Municipal Aquifers than calculated from purchase orders and production useage. My suspicion has been either Borg Textiles or possibly Varnicolor despite a supposed lack of chlorobenzene found in Varnicolor's shallow groundwater. Borg and Varnicolor are downgradient from Uniroyal Chemical but located upgradient from the south wellfield. Hence they are in the middle of the plume coming from Uniroyal. Or are they? It now looks as if they may be the authors themselves of much of the chlorobenzene and NDMA contamination  first "discovered" in November 1989.

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT (MECP) COMMENTS REGARDING 2021 ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT

 Just to be clear that is indeed review comments by our blessed and beloved MECP not for this year completed (2022) but from the previous year (2021 . The Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) comes out each spring from Lanxess's consultants. It is an annual report and summary of important and ongoing alleged remediation items such as on and off site pumping & treatment plus groundwater elevation contours as well as contaminant concentrations of various plumes on and off site. It used to contain much more but has been trimmed over the decades either due to superior cleanup performance (HA!) or more likely just because.

Hmm the MECP are getting a little pushy here. They actually claim that Lanxess have failed to elucidate the sources of NDMA to the Elmira Aquifers after 1970. They further advise that future reporting (AMR) should include whether or not the decomissioned on-site ponds are still contributing as a residual source of NDMA in groundwater at the site.

On page 4 the MECP bluntly state that the "...timeframe to achieve the existing clean-up objective to restore to drinking water standards for NDMA and chlorobenzene in the off-site MA is uncertain".

A supposed isolated detection of toluene in September 2021 in the Creek and how this detection of toluene was corrected is not provided in the AMR. Similarly the rationale for believing that a temporary loss of containment in the Upper Aquifer allegedly did not cause any adverse affects in the Creek has not been provided. In other words yet again the Conclusions of GHD (always helpful to Lanxess) are not squared with the data and information presented.

Rebound refers to contaminated soils discharging contaminants into the surrounding groundwater and hence raising the concentrations of themselves in the groundwater. Apparently this phenomenon is being proven at the South Wellfield as pumping well E7 is being shut down intermittently and indeed NDMA concentrations begin to rise again in the groundwater. There is also much discussion of residual sources of NDMA  and chlorobenzene in groundwater. 

Further discussion of the pros and cons of the Ricker Method plume stability analysis concludes that Ricker can not predict a time frame to achieve a remediation goal at sites where there is a residual source in the aquifer/aquitard. Apparently in the Municipal Aquifers under Elmira residual phase LNAPL & DNAPL? are considered a continuous source of dissolved plume NDMA and chlorobenzene.No surprise there folks. Yet where was the fuc.ing MECP during all the DNAPL investigations and first class coverup?

Other MECP concerns are how much cleanup of the Elmira Municipal Aquifers are due to natural attenuation processes versus from the On and Off-Site Containment & Treatment System. Apparently the effect of the pump & treat systems on residual sources is unknown. Unsurprisingly the MECP would like future AMRs to provide information about the status and distribution of residual sources of NDMA and Chlorobenzene in both the saturated and unsaturated soil zones at the Site and off-site.

There are a few new interesting admissions here by the MECP. Good for them. Doubtless  Lanxess will ignore them and there will be no consequences. 

ONGOING HANDWASHING REQUIRED WHILE READING RAC MINUTES

 I'm not complaining. This is a good thing especially during an ongoing pandemic or two. I've just looked over the recently released RAC Agenda for this Thursday as well as the Minutes for the last RAC meeting of September 29, 2022. I believe that our less technically competent and informed attendees and participants are as equally effusive in their praise of RAC and TAG as are Ramin Ansari and Chair Svensson. This speaks well of the indoctrination and training provided by those most interested in having their way.

I would prefer of course, being a meat and potatoes sort of person, to see much more stimulating and aggressive questioning of numerous environmental issues before both committees. To my longterm consternation it appears that serious discussion or criticism is not really on the Agenda at all. Far more important, surprisingly at first blush to me, is the back patting, butt patting team comraderie on display. Oh aren't we all just wonderful folks getting along, going with the flow, always assuming that things will work out in the end simply based upon the humanitarianism, morals and ethics of corporate Lanxess Canada. 

This folks is the longterm devolution of public consultation. No disagreement, no strong criticism, no detailed responses or explanations of what are clearly unresolved contradictions. Also the reference in the title above is in regards to what gets smeared on one's hands while reading this horse manure. 

GOOD NEWS & BAD NEWS

 The good news is the criticism being laid upon our premier Doug Ford. What an incredible doufus and why in the name of common sense are his Cabinet not moderating his stupidity somewhat? Bill 124 and Bill 23 if I've got the numbers right are the latest outrages. Opening up the Greenbelt allegedly to both lower prices for developed land and homes while increasing the stock of new home construction seems nuts. Clearly infrastructure whether hydro, water, sewers, gas lines, roads etc. is much less expensive closer to where it's already established. Am I the only one who thinks that starting from scratch and building all new infrastructure whether in the middle of the woods or on the edges is a little bit nuts?

Then we have the bad news. Dear Lord folks where have you been over the last ten, twenty, thirty or fourty years? Doug Ford is doing exactly what Conservative governments have always done in Ontario which is to pander to the privileged and wealthy to make them more privileged and wealthy whether at the expense of the rest of us or not. How could anybody who's read a newspaper in the last number of decades be surprised at Doug Ford's behaviour? Why did you twits elect him if you don't like the crap he is pulling? News flash we've got exactly the stupid government that we the stupid people elected. Whether caps on working peoples' wages, new unneeded highways, Notwithstanding Clause threats or opening up the Greenbelt  are all in a day's work for him.

AROUND & AROUND WE GO???

Well we have a RAC (Remediation Advisory Committee) virtual meeting next Thursday at 5:30 pm. Agenda Item #5 will be an update on the HHERA (Human Health & Environmental Risk Assessment) and it would be harsh to suggest that it will all be blatant and disgusting lies. It will however be a pack of puffery, B/S, and self-serving drivel intended to "prove" that they are going the extra mile. For themselves they are indeed doing that. I also expect that there will be earthworm and other sampling which will be interpreted exactly as Lanxess/GHD and the MECP want it to be. remember the object here is not truth it is appearances and if they can sell it to both newbie Woolwich councillors as well as experienced co-opted mayors and other bureaucrats then all is accomplished. To attend this virtual meeting contact lschaefer@woolwich.ca

Agenda Item #6 is Status Update on CTS - Lanxess. This is an update on the status of the Containment & Treatment System which likely is the hydraulic containment of multiple pumping wells throughout Elmira. The theory has always been to pump contaminated groundwater , treat it and then dump it back into the Canagagigue Creek versus back into the aquifers. Unfortunately we have had decades of underperforming pumping of the aquifers literally for a myriad of never ending reasons and excuses. Literally sometimes full pages of excuses per month. Hence the volumes promised to be pumped and treated aren't even close to the pumping rates we were promised. Doubtless this will all be sugarcoated, fluffed up and more excuses made next Thursday. 

The last item is apparently some interest being shown by Member of Parliament Tim Louis. He is looking for some data both about the Canagagigue Creek and about the Elmira Aquifers to see if any of it falls within their federal jurisdiction. The fact is that it does although the Feds have run for the hills over the last three plus decades so why would they do their jobs now?

TIME TO RALLY THE TROOPS!

 Lanxess and the Ontario Ministry of Environment are on the cusp of declaring victory and pretending to have cleaned up Elmira's aquifers, Creek (Canagagigue) and even a significant part of the site itself. It's all puffery and horse manure aided and abetted by some of our local politicians who know better but prefer to bury their heads in the sand and declare the view just fine. Well the view is not fine and all the obfuscation, deceit and manipulation have done exactly nothing to clean up the mess that Uniroyal Chemical in conjunction with the Min. Of Environment (MECP)  have left succeeding generations of both human beings and of wildlife in and around the Canagagigue Creek. Truth certainly is the first casualty of war  but it's also the first casualty of money and power who feel that their influence should exempt them from the laws of the land including environmental laws. 

WEIRD HOW INSULAR (INWARD LOOKING?) INSTITUTIONS BECOME

 Grand River Hospital in Kitchener. It's kind of hard to feel critical towards our health care institutions the last few years (2020, 21, 22) based upon their stepping up to fight Covid-19 head on. Yet... a funny thing happened today. Also many have been pointing out that the crisis in staffing and the apparently overburdened emergency rooms and operating rooms have been around for years if not decades. Interesting that. Interesting the media coverage and political verbiage also. And the billions of dollars literally being spent. And the weird fact for example that I've been living in Waterloo Region since I was five years old (I'm now 73) back when we only had K-W Hospital (now Grand River), St Mary's Hospital, Cambridge Memorial Hospital and a full size hospital over in Guelph plus a tiny hospital in Fergus, Listowel etc. And still do all these decades later when the population has ballooned some say precipitously as we have the largest immigration to Canada outside of Toronto for sure and maybe Montreal?

So what weird thing happened today? Well I politely advised that my one day stay in hospital that was extended to two days due to a high heart rate at the Pre-Op checkup was going to end on Wednesday afternoon. Now the blip on the radar was quickly and efficiently handled, in my opinion, very well. I have been taking medication since last Tuesday which is working very well and immediately. I was advised last Friday that all was well and to go ahead with my surgery which expressing confidence in all who advised me I did. Things went very well indeed and I suggested that if I passed all benchmarks and criteria regarding physiotherapy, walking etc. plus heart rate, blood pressure & temperature that I would be saying thank you and leaving. Well....Oh my God the overreaction not by all staff involved but certainly by many. It was as if I had thrown a stink bomb combined with dirty lyrics from a music video into a funeral procession for a young child. With very little plain common sense combined with a few big words and stern, professional stares they acted as if I was an idiot or a new MOM, or a minor child not a 73 year old adult who really prefers to spend what time he has left on earth in his own home versus even an additional unnecessary five minutes in hospital. Or quoting an old long gone friend "Alan why would you go to a hospital? They are full of sick people. " Geez sorry people but while I was mostly impressed with the professionalism and dedication I saw it really wasn't enough for me to hang around for extra. Send my meds to my local pharmacy, you've got my address, phone number and fax if something serious comes up. Sayanara folks.

 

IT'S A GAME CHANGER

 The Waterloo Region Record (K-W Record) have had a number of excellent environmental writers over the years including Bob Burt, Phil Jalsevac, Paige Desmond and Leah Gerber.  Also the Elmira Independent had a number including Roddy Turpin and Shirley Rennie not to mention Bob Verdun himself and Gail Gardner. Chuck Kuepfer also jogs my memory. The Woolwich Observer have had several very good ones many years ago and I apologize for my memory lapse although long term Steve Kannon's writing has always stirred me. Currently Leah Gerber who left the K-W Record is doing very good work environmentally for the Observer. 

A regular local newspaper is an absolute must in order to limit the blatant propaganda and greenwashing that nasty corporate polluters are capable of. Here locally we have had more than our share of polluters from corner garages leaking gas and diesel to our multi national, multi billion dollar Uniroyal Chemical and its' corporate successors Crompton, Chemtura and now Lanxess Canada. All of them are polluters as well as their property continues to leak and discharge into the natural environment. This leakage is by air, groundwater, surface water  and even vapours through the soil. It has never stopped albeit the blatant gross dumping days of Uniroyal Chemical are long behind us. The damage however continues on both to wildlife and to human receptors. 

The trick for polluters is to have more money to throw at both the legal courts and the courts of public opinion. Uniroyal long ago embedded themselves in the community both politically through employees on town council as well as via community sponsership and donations. Add to that membership in the former CCPA ( Canadian Chemical Producers Assoc. ) and the current CIAC ( Chemical Industry Assoc. of Canada )  and greenwashing can thrive. 

Political corruption whether via the Ontario Ministry of Environment or at the municiapl level has been ongoing. It does not include all councillors but obviously the Mayor needs to be on board with it. While former Mayor Todd Cowan was less involved/dominated by it he too felt the pressure. I still hope that either a public inquiry or some such investigation that isn't controlled by either Council or Lanxess Canada may yet occur. That is also where our local newspaper can have an impact. The environmental cleanup here has been shameful whereas the greenwashing and puffery have been world class. There are professionals in the field that know this but they have wisely kept their heads down. There is always a high cost involved in doing the right thing whereas going with the flow and not rocking the boat is usually very inexpensive. We've got a ton of those folks nearby.

 /

OCTOBER 2022 PRETEND PROGRESS REPORT

 When will it end? When will TAG or the MECP or even Woolwich Township say no more bullsh.t, Lanxess do your damn job! That job includes proper pumping volumes as indicated by Target pumping rates clearly shown each month in the Progress Reports. GHD, consultants to Lanxess, also clearly indicate that they recommend that Lanxess "...maintain the target pumping rates greater than or equal to these rates." This is simply not happening.

The on-site shallow aquifer pumping rate in October was .2 litres per second an all time low since it started in 1997. The on-site municipal aquifer combined pumping rate for PW4 & PW5 is 4.7 l/sec and again it has failed to achieve that with only 4.4 l/sec in October 2022. 

The off-site pumping rate for four of the eight municipal aquifer pumping wells failed to achieve their Target rates. Three of these four that did achieve their Target rates were the lowest pumping (& Target) wells namely W6A, W6B, W8 at .2, .3 and .05 l/sec.  Overall the off-site Municipal Aquifer pumping wells are currently just above the pumping rate that Chemtura and Conestoga Rovers (CRA) determined in November 2012 had to be TRIPLED to achieve the mandated 2028 cleanup.  They have never even come close to Doubling much less TRIPLING their off-site pumping rates. Despite this there are no consequences, including charges, from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MECP). This is yet more reason why the knowledgeable and honest citizens in Elmira have such contempt for the alleged process, cleanup and  dishonest/deceptive words from Lanxess.   

MORE ON EXCELLENT CANAGAGIGUE CREEK WOOLWICH OBSERVER ARTICLE

 A tiny bit of nitpicking on my part in that two of the east side pits were open until late 1993 not 1990 and in fact the word "open" is debatable. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that two pits were still in use storing toxic chemicals in the ground until late 1993. 

On page 4 of the article it suggests that "...the swampy area, or the Gap, is relatively close to the pits." In fact the swampy area is exactly between the end of the largest swale or open ditch and the possible narrow  entranceway to the closest gravel pit namely GP-1 (gravel pit 1). Also keep in mind that this possible narrow entranceway is not shown on some maps as even existing hence that begs the legitimate question as to whether or not dioxins and DDT allegedly sampled in GP-1 really were there or not. In other words is the company morally capable of  "salting" soil samples with toxic chemicals in order to pretend that these chemicals stayed on their property rather than flowing off site onto the Stroh farm?

My source has indicated that the Stroh Drain was built in the fall of 1983 when the water table was lower. Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach's description and information in this article is indeed accurate and I dare say that on a general basis his information provided both at TAG and in the media puts his TAG colleagues to shame (especially Tiffany S.). Regarding Sebastian's appropriate concerns that a minor or partial cleanup will result in further erosion of toxins over time into the Creek sediments, that concern was also shared by Susan Bryant at the last TAG meeting.

Michael Mackin of Lanxess and Gary Wheeler of the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP) are both bullsh.t artists as well as bedfellows. While I do not mean this in the literal sense I certainly do mean it in the conspiratorial and collusion sense. Their words are disgusting, deceptive and untruthful. Also the claim was made by Michael Mackin that on two separate occasions  RAC, TAG and community members were invited to visit and tour the site. Well isn't that interesting. Only on one occasion was I invited and even then I had to dig in my heels to get the invite at the same time as the RAC and TAG members plus to include a couple more interested citizens and stakeholders that they did not want to attend. All in all the Observer have done a great job despite the lies and deception by the company and the MECP. 

WELL DONE WOOLWICH OBSERVER & LEAH GERBER

 I've died and gone to heaven.  THREE WEEKS in a row the Observer have stepped up and bluntly yet accurately told the public about what is going on behind the scenes at TAG and in regards to the scam and sham being sold as a Risk Assessment (RA) of the Canagagigue Creek. This alleged RA is nothing more than a bunch of well paid Suits perverting science and mathematics in order to avoid decades late cleanup costs downstream from Uniroyal/Lanxess Canada in Elmira. Twenty-two Old Order Mennonite families lives and health have yet again been discarded in favour of corporate profits. The health of the downstream environment and all life forms in it have been minimized and further degraded again for corporate profit. And our Mayor and provincial politicians (& MECP) are helping Lanxess achieve this shameful goal.

There is much deception going on but the very last lying quote in the article by I believe the Ontario Ministry of Environment takes the cake and is beyond all fantasy namely :  "We will continue consulting with all stakeholders on the Lanxess environmental investigations and remediation measures." Filthy LIARS! I am a stakeholder. Dr. Dan Holt is a stakeholder. Ron Campbell is a stakeholder. Graham Chevreau is a stakeholder. Dr. Henry Regier is a stakeholder. Vivienne Delaney is a stakeholder etc. etc. Our legitimate Applications were THROWN OUT BY SANDY SHANTZ when she came to power as Mayor. WE and the PUBLUC are REFUSED THE RIGHT to either comment or ask any questions at "public" TAG meetings. At RAC meetings we are REFUSED the right to ask questions or make verbal comments other than three times a year a written Delegation may be presented without questions or followup.

Further lies and deception are in the words of Tiffany Svensson as she falsely and inaccurately defends the indefensible when she claims that there is evidence disproving the Stroh Drain as a threat or a source of contamination to the Canagagigue Creek. It is the usual Lanxess/GHD locational sampling biases going on. Multiple different dates and a few slightly different locations with numerous soil and sediment samples are taken for dioxins and DDT in their preferred locations by bridges crossing the Creek whereas all of four locations have been only sampled once for sediments in the Stroh Drain and three of those are all grouped together to the immediate west of the Martin swimming pond.  This Stroh Drain is 450 metres long and three of the four sample areas are within spitting distance of each other. Even at that there were numerous federal criteria exceedances including Dioxins/furans and DDD. Tiffany you need to resign because your corporate and MECP biases are blatantly showing. TAG allegedly is representing the public interest. What a croc! 

 

PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF GRCA GOOD WORKS ???

 O.K. I do have confidence generally in both Prof. Greg Michalenko and in the K-W Chapter of the Council of Canadians. Others involved not so much. A series of four photographs were sent to me which my computer at first balked at opening for whatever reason. With assistance from my wife we have opened the photographs and examined them carefully. They allege to be photographs of the same location however from 1993 until 2018 which is not the twenty year time span indicated but actually 25 years apart. These four pictures certainly are different and the later ones show a ton of shrubs and trees unfortunately much in the foreground. As a result I honestly do not have any confidence based solely upon the four pictures that they are all of the same location which is supposed to be the whole idea. 

I believe that the idea of this exercise is to compliment the good work that the GRCA has done over many decades. I have no problem with that overall especially in the current political light of Dougie Ford emasculating Conservation Authorities and other environmental institutions. At the same time I long ago lost all my naivete regarding political institutions including the GRCA. Generally they are made up of municipal appointees with little or no competence and sometimes even less genuine respect for the environment.

I'll accept that the Ontario government (Doug Ford's Conservatives) are doing lots of harm environmentally but I'm not sure at all that these photographs are real proof of it.  

UPCOMING RAC MEETING PLUS FURTHER UPDATES

 The next RAC (Remediation Advisory Committee)  meeting is scheduled for Thursday December 8/22 at 5:30 pm. I presume that unfortunately it will still be virtual versus in person. The next TAG (Technical Advisory Group) meeting I believe is tentatively scheduled for January 26/23.

CPAC are in the discussion stage of future direction and action. We of course are disappointed that the Mayor has been returned although we are thrilled with many of the new members plus the dramatic change of the old guard. CPAC (Citizens Public Advisory Committee) are not beholden to Lanxess, GHD (consultants), Min. of Environment (MECP) and most thankfully NOT to Sandy Shantz. We will work with anybody who in good faith attempt to assist the public interest with proper cleanup of our Aquifers and our Creek (Canagagigue). 

HUMOUR - THE LAST REFUGE ?

 O.K. so I'll admit it. I was thrilled with yesterday's post poking fun at TAG membership. Despite the fact that there are a number of people on that committee that I both like and respect, nevertheless all humour usually has elements of truth in it and yesterday's post certainly did.  Frankly I admire Sebastian 's willingness and ability to sit there and listen to some of the bullsh.t and drivel. I will even give a tad of congrats to Susan B. for buttonholing Tiffany into categorically denying (lying?) any loss of hydraulic containment in the on-site Municipal Aquifers despite a year of failed pumping rates. 

All that being said it is the dog wagging the tail in that the polluter has far, far too much say in cleaning up the disgusting mess that they bought doubtless with backroom deals first with the Ontario Ministry of Environment. The MOE/MECP pulled that crap with Phillips Environmental when they wanted to purchase Varnicolor Chemical in Elmira, Ontario. The Control Order demanding full lateral and VERTICAL delineation of contamination was watered down such that the site is still under remediation today and the owners (Elmira Pump) have been left holding the bag on a site that was supposed to be remediated in ten years (i.e. 1995-2005) ,. In 2016 they were still working on a Risk Assessment approval which I'm supposed to be receiving a copy of. Nada yet! Oh and by the way that too much say by Chemtura/Lanxess includes the so called municipal appointees to the committee of council (TAG etc.).

APPLICANTS BEING SOUGHT FOR TAG MEMBERSHIP

 Originally it was suggested likely at TAG (Technical Advisory Group) that applicants needed to apply in writing by last Friday November 18, 2022. However as of the day before I was advised that that had been changed to a date sometime in January. As per my comments regarding TAG over the last few posts I am going to include some pre-qualifications. Firstly these pre-qualifications are not for the purpose of discouraging applicants as much as to simply save you time and trouble if you are unable to meet them.

1) Active professional status as a hydrogeologist, biologist or risk assessor. Combined with this is a strong preference for very busy active professionals with severely limited time to read and research the facts. 

2 Professionals with the requisite survival skills of deference and  unwillingness to displease their employers doing business with the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP), Lanxess or GHD (consultants) etc.

3) Professionals with a preferred  bias in favour of authority figures. This includes the previous stated MECP plus municipal mayors and regional chairs.

4) If "professionals" of this nature are not available in requisite numbers then totally unqualified candidates with zero environmental background or interest are welcomed.

5) These candidates however preferably should have the same constraints as 1) - 3) above.

6) In an extreme volunteer shortage position once again Sandy Shantz's Elmira Curling Club friends are encouraged to apply.

Long haired, freaky looking candidates need not apply unless fully vetted by Lanxess Canada, Dupont or Union Carbide all world class polluters with a well known penchant for puffery. 

TAG A FAILURE? DEPENDS ON WHOM YOU ASK

 Tiffany says it's fine. So does Lanxess and their consultants GHD. The Ontario Ministry of Environment used to rave about UPAC and CPAC back in the early 2000's. They hated CPAC from 2011-Aug. 2015 when Dr. Dan Holt was Chair and Susan Bryant and Pat Mclean were off the committee. Woolwich Township according to Sandy Shantz think that TAG are the best thing since sliced bread. Most TAG members like TAG and will likely reapply by January. 

Back in the late 1990s Glenys McMullen of APTE referred to UPAC (Uniroyal Public Advisory Committee) as the Uniroyal Pollution Appreciation Club which was essentially accurate. I early on referred to RAC (Remediation Advisory Committee) as the Really Awful Committee. TAG I will go  easy on referring to them as the Too Agreeable Group. Refer to yesterday's Blog post to see why they are so "agreeable" and hence ineffective for real environmental cleanup.

What does Woolwich Township gain from lying about and hiding local polluters? Firstly they gain the goodwill of all our dirty polluters. Secondly selling Uniroyal Chemical as the sole significant polluter in town gains the goodwill of the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE) and the provincial government. It's easier to sell having "overlooked" one bad apple rather than three, five or ten all in the small town  of Elmira, Ontario. What municipal governments mainly do is suck up to the big boys (Toronto) who in turn suck up to the bigger boys yet namely Ottawa. It's the upper tier provincial and federal governments that have the funding for the big projects whether for the Arts, infrastructure including roads and bridges, Light Rail Transit (LRT), airports and the like. What lower tier government has the balls to say no to them? Of course there is a cost to placing 100% of the blame onto a multi national, multi billion dollar corporation like Uniroyal Chemical and we are all paying it. That cost is the "sweetheart deal" required for Uniroyal to stop fighting the MOE  now known as the MECP. Uniroyal were handed the keys to the Kingdom regarding the cleanup. Not only did Uniroyal stop blaming the other major polluters in town (Varnicolor Chemical and Nutrite/Yara) but they were made both private and public guarantees regarding cleanup and hence costs of the then KNOWN contamination. Unknown contamination was supposed to be covered in MOE/MECP Control Orders and the like but we the citizens have since learned that Control Orders are essentially toilet paper to be flushed down the toilet as inappropriately and unilaterally determined by the MOE/MECP.  

There is "organized" crime both private and public. Public organized crime (i.e. government) is much more powerful.

WHY TAG (& RAC) ARE DOOMED TO FAILURE

 I heard some honest, plain speaking last evening and it was wonderful. After decades of smooth talking, professional b/s artists and professional liars and spinmeisters; hearing again local citizens speak bluntly and clearly regarding the calculated, self-serving mess that passes for "Public Consultation" in Elmira is wonderful. Don't misunderstand me here. The majority of TAG members are decent human beings put into awkward and even career dangerous positions. While I won't repeat here the metaphors used last evening describing their tenuous tightrope walking (ha my own metaphor)  nevertheless the meanings were clear. Professional hydrogeologists, soil specialists and apparently risk assessment specialists will not jeopardize their careers by bluntly speaking out and criticizing Lanxess, their consultants GHD or the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Environmental consulting and remediation is an incestuous industry and when a company agrees to send one of their young professionals to represent them it is on the understanding that their employee will NOT embarrass them by speaking too strongly or too bluntly no matter how threatened the public interest is. Discretion, diplomacy, tact are paramount. Honesty, clarity and hard hitting facts are the enemy when your company contracts and business hang in the balance. In heavy industry and manufacturing physical carelessness can result in the literal loss of fingers or worse. In professional environmental consulting and remediation verbal carelessness results in the figurative loss of fingers and worse. 

Note I stated that these young professionals are representing their companies who operate in the environmental industry. That is the main problem. These professionals are not local citizens representing the public interest of their community. They have been appointed by the local power structure (Mayor, polluter, Min. of Environment etc.)  and their job is NOT to fix anything so much as to give the appearance of soft spoken, highly intelligent human beings gently pushing polluters to do the right thing out of the goodness of their hearts. Corporations do not have hearts. They have bottom lines and per share profit goals. No more and no less.

Citizens please wake up. You are NOT being well represented by TAG (technical advisory group). They are representing their own interests not yours or as then councillor Pat Merlihan said in 2015 the makeup of TAG is "cringeworthy".  

MORE REGARDING YESTERDAY PLUS TIFFANY'S WHOPPER

 Two items today. Firstly liars lie so why am even I occasionally surprised by them? Over the last year or two I've heard at a TAG meeting once or twice suggestions of slight leakage from the UACTS (Upper Aquifer Containment & Treatment System) into the Canagagigue Creek. No big deal just a small concern allegedly when the Creek rose and there was what we were told were "creek bank storage effects" whereby briefly the Creek raised the groundwater levels along the Creek higher than the surface water levels. At that point groundwater would then flow back into the Creek as there was a temporary loss of containment. Well I got serious and started looking into it and it is my opinion that the MECP and Lanxess/GHD are full of sh.t. I know that's no shocker but geez Louise can't they be honest and straightforward at least occasionally?

"Tiffany's Whopper" may or may not be an exaggeration. After being pressed by Susan Bryant for her opinion regarding months (ha -years) of under pumping the Municipal Aquifers on site, Tiffany fully and completely said there was no problem. According to Tiffany the fact that Lanxess's own consultants strongly recommend that they pump at or HIGHER than the Target Rate for on-site wells PW4 & 5 which they haven't done for the past YEAR is not a problem. Tiffany claims that there has been no loss of hydraulic containment leading to leakage from the grossly contaminated Uniroyal/Lanxess site  into the off-site Elmira Aquifers. Sorry but I think that is a whopper! 

Back to the Upper Aquifer (UA). Without a single word at CPAC the slippery slime in charge have been reducing the pumping at the series of shallow aquifer wells along the west side of the Creek (the "Gig") on their property. This "slippage" has been going on for years but has been most obvious for the last 1 1/2 - 2 years..Originally these containment wells were pumping at over 2 litres per second which was slowly reduced to 1 litre/sec and then since 2021 down to .5 l/sec. Last month (Oct.) it hit a record low of .2 l/sec. 

BROKEN PROMISES & OUTRIGHT LIES BY UNIROYAL/LANXESS

 Where to start? 

Our Elmira drinking water Aquifers will not achieve drinking water standards by 2028. Especially for NDMA. From 1990 until approximately 2016 we were vehemently told otherwise. i.e. we the citizens were lied to for 26 years. Slimy bastards with conveniently zero consequences on their part.

The Canagagigue Creek soils and sediments are contaminated with Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) for the full five miles downstream to the Grand River and most likely much further. The HHERA (Risk Assessment) is nearly complete and we have been told by a bunch of self-serving, credentialed non victim bureaucrats and suits that all human health risks are acceptable. Currently the RA is suggesting minor cleanup efforts at and very close to the Lanxess site only. Not even the so called known "hot spots" down stream are scheduled for cleanup. 

Hence both known on site and off site source removal is not happening. This includes the DNAPLS on and off site that have been covered up and lied about since the late 1980s and early 1990s. It also includes known contamination beneath both east and west side pits and lagoons that received only partial cleanup in 1970 and 1993. 

Off-site contamination literally occurred north, south, east and west of the Uniroyal/Lanxess site. We were told for decades that other than contaminated groundwater discharging eastwards into the Canagagigue and going downstream that everything else went south-west via aquifers. Those were blatant lies.

Public Consultation has devolved into a laughing stock. TAG are a sham of citizens who wouldn't say crap if their mouth was full of it. They are picked as much or more for their willingness and ability to get along with the professional liars (Lanxess & MECP) as for their professional credentials. The public (& experienced CPAC members) are refused access to ask any questions or add any verbal comments to so called public meetings. Credit for this goes to Chemtura/MECP/Sandy Shantz and more. 

There is a ton more but it will come out at a later date.

 

CORRUPTION - "PERVERTED, DEBASED, DECAYED, RIDDLED WITH ERRORS"

Refusing to even receive or look at opposing evidence by our authorities is an example of their corruption. When a pair of professionally tested soil sample results were offered to our various authorities they recoiled in shock and fear. From Woolwich Council, TAG, Ministry of Environment (MECP), Region of Waterloo, GRCA and on and on they all went into serious ostrich mode. The excuses ranged from serious bullsh.t to plaintive wailing about process and procedures up to and including simply no response at all. I gave these various allegedly responsible bodies the name of the professional lab involved and invited questions for clarification. Da nada! Nothing! 

Undeterred I did what I do and sent the professional lab results to all the bodies except one. I also posted the lab report showing dioxin/furan detections here on the Elmira Advocate. Not a peep. Not a response. Not a question. Other than Lanxess (Ramin Ansari) all parties bravely pulled a Doug Ford and hid under their desks until the cloud passed.  Now don't get me wrong. Ramin fairly promptly incorporated these lab results incorrectly into one of his consultant's (GHD) reports alleging that they were sediment samples which they weren't. They were SOIL samples Ramin, exactly as it says on the lab report. Geesh!

Out of respect I did not send the results to TAG despite the pathetic and ridiculous whining of their Chair suggesting that somehow these results were inappropriate, wrong, inaccurate or whatever. The respect I just mentioned was not for TAG or their well paid (Lanxess/Woolwich?) Chair.  

Ask yourselves exactly how tied these political and bureaucratic bodies are to Lanxess Canada's position that they go so far as to refuse to receive professional lab reports showing dioxin/furan soil contamination on the next door neighbour's property (Stroh). Oh did I mention? Despite the expensive cost of sampling and analyzing soil samples for dioxins they were offered FREE to all these scum. Citizens paid for them while our totally perverted and corrupt authorities ran for cover rather than be in possession of evidence of obfuscation and corruption by the parties (Lanxess/MECP) they are protecting. 

CONSPIRACY - "A JOINING SECRETLY WITH OTHERS FOR AN EVIL PURPOSE"

 The definition above is from the Webster's dictionary. The $64,000 question is who are the conspirators and what is the evil purpose? While the two answers are easy the route to get to them has not been. No one in a democracy ever wants to believe that their political systems and politicians are inherently corrupt. No one really wants to believe that they and their parents generation before ever allowed things to get so out of control. To help you the reader along this path think about two recent events. Our (mostly departing) regional councillors have just gifted themselves taxpayer paid for health care for life.  All it requires is a single four year term on regional council and they and their families never need to buy health care insurance or pay out of pocket for health expenses ever again. That isn't a two tiered  health care system as much as a two class system here namely the haves and the have nots or the political class and all the rest of us. The second event is the macabre situation of Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) trustees (a cabal?) voting another democratically elected trustee off the island. Did Mike Ramsay attack, shoot, hit or stab a fellow trustee? No! Did he make death threats or other threats of bodily harm against any of them? No! The nasty, arrogant bugger actually had the brass and nerve to disagree with the majority of his colleagues. Scandalous!

So what is the evil purpose? It is to deceive the population into believing that even so much as a mediocre cleanup of the natural environment has occurred here in Elmira, Ontario after the internationally known 1989 Elmira Crisis. Our water supply was grossly polluted by Uniroyal Chemical as was the Canagagigue Creek, the air and soils in and around the very large Uniroyal property straddling the same creek. 

How can this be you ask? Is it Uniroyal and corporate successors' word against local citizens. Oh no that wouldn't cut it. Instead via any and all means Uniroyal and corporate successors obtained multiple agreements. Never with the general population and never even with most of the local citizen activists. What they did was to make sweetheart deals primarily with all the almost equally guilty political groups who either failed in their duties to protect us the citizens in the first place or worse yet who were bribed, extorted or seduced into complicity with them. It is so much easier and less expensive apparently to corrupt our leading politicians than it is to actually do the cleanup job properly. It is our own political representatives who yet again have sold the public interest down the drain to their everlasting shame. Now of course the honest politicians out there, and there are some, require pretty extensive and heavy duty lying to bring them around. That's all in a days work for our local polluter and his co-opted political friends.  

"...ALLOWING THE DIVERSION OF UNIROYAL CHEMICAL CONTAMINATED LIQUID WASTES INTO THE MARTIN SWIMMING POND."

 Kudos to the Woolwich Observer for publishing my Letter To The Editor in its' entirety versus editing it and then publishing. Furthermore my Letter To...  also states "Is there one overarching conflict of interest that has subverted our Ministry of Environment?" Both of these statements while accurate also strongly suggest corruption of one form or another. I suggest that bravo to the Woolwich Observer as they are in my opinion demonstrating courage for the benefit of the public interest versus hiding and remaining quiet due to libel chill or other intimidation.

I noticed carefully a few comments by Susan Bryant at last Thursday's TAG meeting. I did indicate yesterday her comments regarding a PROTEST. Interesting and Lord knows long overdue but I am skeptical it will happen. In reference to the Stroh Drain soils and sediments she did give minimal support to Sebastian when she stated that the area is "under sampled perhaps". Definitely less than unconditional support but better than the rest of TAG. 

Still zero answers as to where PCBs in the Creek are coming from. Unbelievable !  I also loved Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach's portrayal of the Min. of Environment's (MECP) logic being "specious" as to why the Stroh Drain isn't a source of contamination to the Creek. What the public interest has long required is more citizens stepping up and calling the MOE/MECP out for the bullsh.t and nonsense.

Neither Tiffany nor Wilson would respond to statements by Sebastian regarding dioxins/furans found in the sediments of the Stroh Drain at thirty times higher than the federal criteria of .85 TEQ ppt . Neither would they directly respond to strong criticism about the shallow depth of sediment sampling nor to the fact that the MECP tested the lean portions of fish versus the higher concentration areas such as the liver, other organs and fatty areas. Instead both Tiffany and Wilson went off sideways with Wilson suggesting that shovels are O.K. for shallow underwater sampling of sediments versus professional core samplers  and Tiffany blathering about location CANCR5 having the highest sediment concentrations of contaminants (it doesn't) and that a year's worth of under pumping of the Municipal aquifers on the Uniroyal/Lanxess site isn't a cause for worry about loss of hydraulic containment permitting on-site contaminated groundwater to flow off-site (it is).

Some good signs lately but not much from TAG.    

SHAME ON TAG (Technical Advisory Group)

Below is an e-mail that I sent to the Citizens Public Advisory Committee (CPAC) this morning partially describing last evening's public but virtual TAG meeting.

                OBSERVER's LETTER TO THE EDITOR

CPAC+:  Once in a very long while we swing for the fences and 

hit a home run. Well it's happened. I wish that I 

(and possibly Sebastian) knew at last night's TAG meeting that 

the Observer had published my very strong, very blunt and very 

critical Letter To The Editor regarding what Sebastian was 

describing last evening to his TAG colleagues. Not a one of them 

supported him although Susan B. to her credit did speak strongly 

in favour of removing the known (but not unknown due to lack of 

representative sampling) "hot spots" along the Creek. She wants 

support from TAG and has it at least in principle and as possibly 

a bargaining chip. When push comes to shove TAG will also 

likely drop their DEMAND (ha: from their knees with hands in a 

praying position) that the "hot spots" be remediated.

Sebastian was strongly and appropriately criticizing the MECP  

Sediment & Fish sampling report released last September. 

Sebastian you were magnificent whereas your colleagues are 

stunningly biased, and self-servingly blind. Wilson's arguments 

about shovels being O.K. are garbage!  Funny when Joe Kelly 

was discussing the loss of sediment fines from using shovels 

two or three years ago, not a peep out of Wilson. Now it's all 

about cross contamination b/s. IT'S THE LOSS OF FINES 

USING SHOVELS versus proper CORE SAMPLERS!!!

That .itch Tiffany also argued against Sebastian by suggesting

 falsely that location CANCR 5 upstream of the mouth of the 

Stroh Drain/Martin Creek has the highest concentrations.  It 

does for DDT in sediments but the lowest concentrations of 

dioxin/furans of all the locations from Uniroyal/Lanxess to the 

Grand River. PAHs have the highest sediment concentrations 

downstream well below CANCR5 at CANCR6 (New Jerusalem 

Rd.) with CANCR5 being the second LOWEST concentrations.

Similarly Tiffany Svensson also behaved like a Lanxess/MECP 

apologist by minimizing the failure of the on-site Municipal

Aquifer pumping wells PW4 & 5. Since September 2021 they 

have made their TARGET PUMPING RATE of 4.7 l/sec only 

ONCE namely January 2022 exactly at 4.7 l/s. Every other 

month has been below that TARGET RATE up to and including

 September 2022.  In the footnotes GHD clearly state that they 

recommend that Lanxess pump at the Target Rate or HIGHER!!! 

I had suggested to Dr. Dan, Viv and Richard that perhaps the 

cloud of Sandy's being re-elected might have a silver lining.  By

 the way Dr. Dan worked his butt off with much assistance from 

Sebastian and others during the election! The silver lining is if 

the Observer choose to finally cover RAC and TAG meetings 

properly. Leah Gerber (Observer) was there virtually last night.

 Also the silver lining is if the Observer are more welcoming of

 Letters To The Editor from CPAC members (Dr. Dan recently).

 My Letter To The Editor was published yesterday. I let the 

MECP and Lanxess have it right between the eyes. I also 

brought up the well hidden fact seen by myself, Sebastian 

and Mark Bauman that there is a pipe diverting some water 

from the Stroh Drain/Martin Creek into the Martin swimming 

pond. I have little confidence that Mark would ever honestly 

testify to what he saw and later described to me whereas 

Sebastian and I together traced the pipe from the northern 

end of the pond due south into the swimming pond 

("water" was running at the time).

Sebastian your colleagues are playing a game and Tiffany 

and Wilson are hard on board the Lanxess/MECP train. 

David Hofbauer had very little to say last evening but at 

least he wasn't disagreeing or criticizing your position. 

Linda Dickson is out of her depth. In the past Dustin Martin

concerned me although recently somewhat like David 

H. he hasn't been attending much (Guilt???)  Susan is and

always has played her own game. Sebastian what did you

 think of her "threat" right at the end of the meeting regarding

 a PROTEST if the hot spots aren't cleaned up? I believe that

 her TAG colleagues will wish her well and perhaps other than

 yourself, leave her to protest on her own. Also I think that it's

 a hollow threat although I wish it weren't.

Alan Marshall .    

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