Frank Rovers was one of if not the principal founder of engineering consulting firm Conestoga Rovers & Associates. He passed on several years ago. The company made their name with their hydraulic containment of the Love Canal in New York state. Interestingly decades later after there were some citizens who returned to the abandoned residential site, further ongoing issues arose with migrating sludges and contaminants. Back in the 1970s local resident Lois Gibbs led the charge to have the site cleaned up. Basically the Love Canal was exactly what it was named. It was a failed attempt (by a Mr. Love) to build a Canal whose original purpose was to bypass Niagara Falls apparently. The project was abandoned with a big hole left in the ground which unfortunately was filled with toxic chemicals from nearby Hooker Chemicals. Then of course it was covered with earth and local developers thought that it would be a dandy (and cheap) source of land for a new residential subdivision. Oh the pride, hubris and stupidity of people looking to get rich quick while others took the health risks.
Adults and children in the new subdivision were plagued with multiple symptoms, rashes and illnesses. Then it was revealed as to what was oozing into basements and near surface sheds, garages and homes. Hooker chemicals produced various chlorinated solvents for commercial sale. To the best of my knowledge this included chlorophenols which they sold to Uniroyal Chemical in Elmira for use in herbicides and pesticides such as 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T , brushbane and eventually Agent Orange for use both in Vietnam and in Ontario.
Way back in the late 1990s Susan Bryant informed me during a private DNAPL (Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquid) conversation with her that Frank Rovers had appeared at a UPAC (Uniroyal Public Advisory Committee) public meeting that I did not attend due to work commitments. For whatever reason Frank was very blunt and stated that yes the Uniroyal Chemical site to his knowledge was filled with sub-surface DNAPLS whether free phase or residual. I was shocked when Susan told me this. Both Uniroyal and the Ontario Ministry of Environment would have been in attendance. I believed Susan unequivocally at the time.
I can not imagine any reason why Frank Rovers (CRA) would say such a thing if it was not true. Susan said that it was said in the spirit of "Well there's just too much and it's everywhere so really there's no chance to search it all out and remove it.". I do know that at one time that was the attitude regarding DNAPLS in that they should be left alone for fear of further increasing their sub-surface migration if ill advised attempts to remove them took place. That said Drs. John Cherry and Beth Parker in January 2007 at the U. of Waterloo explained to me, Wilf Ruland, Pat McLean and Susan that that position had been reversed and that all possible attempts to remove DNAPLS were the way to go when remediating a site. Susan, Wilf and Pat refused to take this information back to CPAC (Chemtura Public Advisory Committee) for open discussion although private conversations may have taken place.
The DNAPLS remain to slowly dissolve and migrate over decades and or centuries.
P.S. Jeff Merriman (Uniroyal & Chemtura) nearly had a bird one time I suggested that dioxins were DNAPL chemicals. 2,3,7,8 Tetra Chloro Dibenzo-p-Dioxin sure seems to me to be a classic DNAPL chemical.
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