SO DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND THE FAILURE TO ACHIEVE GROUNDWATER CLEANUP IN ELMIRA, ONTARIO

 

NOT!

The pumping Target Rates have been in front of our eyes since 1998. These off-site Target Rates were to achieve BOTH hydraulic containment of the contaminant plumes hence preventing them from spreading in area as well as to slowly reduce the concentrations of the various toxic chemicals to below Ontario Drinking Water Standards. The on the Uniroyal site Target Rates were intended solely to contain the contaminant plumes on site. 

Consistency and reliability in pumping and treatment were required to achieve these goals. Uniroyal, Crompton, Chemtura , Lanxess, CRA and GHD have been totally incapable of keeping the systems up and running to their own Target Rates over the last 26 years hence the failure. The Ontario Ministry of Environment have rarely and barely even said "Tsk Tsk".  RAC, TAG and now TRAC will also do their best to ignore these failures and point their fingers elsewhere. TRAC members (i.e. RAC & TAG) rebranded  will go about business as usual begging for cleanup scraps along the Creek and  justifying the aquifer cleanup failure with a new "deadline" plus lots of rah, rah look how many kilograms of chemicals we removed from the aquifers last year. There will be no word as to how much new contamination has leaked off the former Uniroyal site into the aquifers beneath Elmira. 

Off-site Target pumping Rates  were approximately 53 litres per second in 2012. Currently they are  at 63.8  l/sec.  The total off-site pumping for the last four months (Dec.2023, Jan., Feb., March 2024) has been a ridiculous 42.4, 37.4, 28.5 and 44.9 litres per second.  GHD recommends in writing that actual pumping rates equal or exceed  their Target Rates.  

Hydraulic Containment also known as Pump & Treat or Pump & Dump is the cheapest and least effective remediation possible for contaminated sites.  These never ending pumping failures have been going on since the beginning. I no longer believe that they are unintentional. Lanxess are saving money every month that this crap goes on.  Woolwich Township and TRAC will serve as their cheerleaders.