IS THE MECP IMPLICITLY OR EXPLICITLY ALLOWING THE GROUNDWATER DISCHARGE OF UNIROYAL CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS OFF-SITE?

 

I have discussed many times the shameful reductions in Upper Aquifer groundwater pumping over the last several years and how that is allowing highly contaminated shallow groundwater from Uniroyal/Lanxess's south-west corner to discharge into the Canagagigue Creek. Today I will discuss the failure /reductions in pumping affecting the Uniroyal/Lanxess on-site municipal aquifers. Remember that the very first hydraulic containment started in 1992 was from wells PW1 in the north-west corner and PW3 in the south-east corner of the site. In less than a year it was obvious that contaminated groundwater was still flowing off-site right down through the middle of the site following the natural groundwater flow from north-east to south-west. 

At that point pumping well PW4 was added on the west side of the site near some of the very worst contamination on site.Those three wells pumped for many years at pumping rates between 4.8 and 6 litres per second. Allegedly they held back the discharge of the highly contaminated Municipal Upper and Lower Aquifers. Eventually a strange thing happened as Uniroyal/M.O.E. agreed to stop pumping from PW1 in the north-west as well as from PW3 in the south-east. They then added a well in the central part of the west side of their site called PW5. We were told that those two wells alone could fully hydraulically contain the Municipal Aquifers and prevent them from leaving the site. For many years those two wells had a combined pumping rate of 4.7 litres per second. This minimum they maintained or exceeded until late 2018 and 2019. It's now been three or four years since they've achieved their minimum Target pumping rate.

So all the on-site pumping both shallow (UA) and deep (MU, ML) is well below the levels we were told was absolutely necessary to maintain hydraulic containment on the site and prevent off-site discharge. The Ontario Ministry of Environment know this full well yet there is no discussion, no debate and no questions raised at RAC, TAG or TRAC. Small wonder. None of them were around prior to September 2015 and they have no knowledge of the history of the site's "remediation". Susan Bryant, the non Canadian, non Woolwich resident traded away everything else for vague promises from professional liars to clean up the Creek. Maybe she still remembers the pumping promises and Targets made and maybe age has caught up to her and she doesn't remember.