The properties literally touch each other. They literally operated as one entity with a track for forklifts and even tractor trailers to go back and forth. There was a third tank farm built upon the 84 Union St. area for the expanding Varnicolor Chemical business. Incoming and outgoing 45-55 gallon drums were stored in the building still on the Howard Ave. side of the property. All that said there was something afoot going on over there which a little birdie told me about a long time ago. The Ontario Ministry of Environment (M.O.E.) never fully released what they discovered on that property. It was too damning both of Varnicolor and of the M.O.E. . It likely would have necessitated the admission of Varnicolor's contributions to the destruction of the Elmira drinking water Aquifers decades sooner.
Back in 2016 Elmira Pump (Jim Germann) was trying to get a Record of Site Condition from the M.O.E. for his former Varnicolor properties bounded by First Ave., Union St. and Howard Ave. He was also trying to get permission from Woolwich Township to build commercial storage units on the SURFACE of his property. Pump & Treat technology had been underway since about 1996 and the shallow aquifer had also been excavated way back around 1993. The surface at least appeared to be fairly clean albeit deeper down was less likely. One other lie (O.K. omission) was that Varnicolor's shallow solvent contamination had spread westwards over their property line onto that of MotiveAire next door. A cleanup including likely a hookup into Varnicolor's pump & treat system occurred.
There also was never a proper investigation into Varnicolor Chemical's can coating process. The owner Severin Argenton obtained a precurser to NDMA called dimethylamine (DMA) which was used in the can coating process which was a commercial enterprise producing a liquid coating applied to the inside of cans (likely food products) to inhibit rusting and oxidation. Guess where the wastewaters were dumped versus being treated and properly disposed of?
The sheer volume of the dumping at Varnicolor is what concerned me when I worked there as well as in the following years. The dumping occurred throughout the entire properties as well as at Lot 91 at the extreme east end of Oriole Parkway. This site was sold to Varnicolor (Severin Argenton) by Woolwich Township. Later the GRCA approved plans for the construction of tank farms for the Lot 91 site which was only stopped by Susan Rupert, Ted Oldfield, Rich Clausi and myself . This Lot 91 site by the way was on the floodplain of both Shirt Factory Creek and of the Canagagigue Creek. I think you can see my loss of innocence in having faith in our various governance bodies.
Elmira and Woolwich citizens have been lied to about so much for so long regarding the Elmira Water Crisis. We still don't have all the facts or the truth. I expect that if and when that happens I will no longer need to vent my outrage with strong language. Although strong language is healthier for me than strong drink and whiz on those that don't like it.
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