LETS MAKE A DEAL - HOW THE ONT. MIN. OF ENVIRONMENT NURTURES DIRTY POLLUTERS

 

First of all contrary to every credentialed sod and suit who have lost their credibility and integrity and agree with Lanxess Canada and the Ontario Min. of Environment that there is not any chlorobenzene in the Bedrock aquifer; I say this. Intellectual prostitution is no more glamorous than the real thing. In some aspects it is worse.

The reason that this lie suggesting that sure there is NDMA in the Bedrock Aquifer but not chlorobenzene is because NDMA is more easily dissolved and more easily pumped. It can be removed much easier from both aquifers and aquitards than chlorobenzene, a DNAPL chemical. Hence just as the leadership of APTE (Susan B. & Sylvia) were coopted in the early 1990s into becoming DNAPL deniers so both Uniroyal Chemical and the Ont. Min. of Environment (MOE/MECP) colluded in their October 1991 Agreement and November 4, 1991 Control Order to pretend that there were no free phase DNAPLS (Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquids) either on the Uniroyal site or off their site having migrated into all the aquifers below the town of  Elmira. 

It is obvious to honest people with even a little bit of hydrogeological knowledge. Looking at the "Schematic Of Hydrogeologic Units Lanxess Canada Co." which are produced by Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura and now Lanxess over the last thirty-six years makes it very clear. These one page subsurface "maps"  are also known as Conceptual Site Models. From the top right corner showing the Creek ("Gig") and the UA (Upper Aquifer) one can follow the blue coloured aquifers downwards into the MU (Municipal Upper) then follow the blue MU leftwards (west & south) until it reaches more blue (marked LGR -low gamma resistivity) and descends further downwards into the ML (Municipal Lower) . From there moving to the right (i.e. north and a little east) one comes to the following FOUR wells all pumping NDMA, chlorobenzene and so much more namely W6A, W5A, W9 and W8. By the way there is also likely a window just to the right of W8 which corresponds to OW58 as stated in yesterday's Blog posting. It goes through the MAT (Municipal Aquitard) and connects the MU with the ML. 

Meanwhile and here's the kicker. THE BEDROCK AQUIFER IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE MUNICIPAL LOWER AQUIFER exactly where three of the four pumping wells (W5A, W6A, W9) well screens sit directly on top of the Bedrock. They are pumping both ML water and BR water albeit the free phase chlorobenzene (& more) DNAPL that gravity flowed into this location are from either or both the north-east window (near OW58) or from the south-west window (near W4, OW57-32R, Howard St. water tower); is likely long gone into the fissures and cracks of the fractured Bedrock Aquifer. There could be some free phase DNAPL still left in the ML or not but certainly that which is into the Bedrock Aquifer is there forever. 

This is but part of the coverup, collusion and corruption between Uniroyal Chemical and the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP). Surviving APTE members may some day be able to figure out how early on their leadership betrayed them. Or not. Time will tell.     

LANXESS & MECP FINDING IT HARDER TO COVERUP THE TRUTH AS PLUMES SHRINK BACKWARDS TO THEIR SOURCE

 

You know most children by the age of six or seven have learned that lying usually only makes things worse. Statements like the dog did it or the baby did it rarely fly with parents. Unfortunately as a society we have learned to condone dishonesty in many forms. 

Yesterday's July 23, 2026 report by GHD sent to the Min. of Environment (MECP) and titled "Municipal Aquifer Steady State Conditions Trial" is an example of what my Blog title is all about. I understand that exceptions to the fibbing rule exist which include two dishonest parties sending knowingly false information back and forth in order to reinforce their agreed upon self-serving "truths". No one is offended because both parties have long ago agreed to the deception. Examples abound such as President Bush lying about Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). England and the U.S. needed some justification for attacking Iraq so they jointly made sh*#  up. Countries do it, individuals do it and polluting corporations do it. 

There are a host of made up falsehoods regarding the Elmira Water Crisis.  Only a very few to date have been debunked or admitted to such as Allan Deal (GHD) admitting to TRAC that Varnicolor Chemical contributed chlorinated solvents to the Elmira drinking water aquifers (MA) as per the Minutes of their September 12, 2024 meeting in Council Chambers. This was on page 7 and on page 6 of these Minutes is also finally the admission of DNAPL existing near pumping well W4 by the Howard St. Water Tower and beside monitoring well OW57-32R. 

The page 6 admission regarding off-site DNAPL presence is important in the context of yesterday's  report as it clarifies why Figures 5 & 7 clearly show both the remaining Municipal Upper and Municipal Lower Aquifer locations of chlorobenzene in Elmira's subsurface. They are located  to the immediate east of former pumping well W4 as well as of monitoring wells OW57-32R and OW57-38 . The remaining plumes in both aquifers (MU, ML) are directly beneath the former Varnicolor Chemical site with Howard Ave. on their south side and First Ave on their north side. Both plumes cross under Union St. as they are slowly pulled towards pumping wells W5A/B in each aquifer. Also of interest in yesterday's report is the statement on page 15 in the Conclusions that  "GHD notes that extraction wells were drilled in the core of the existing plumes at the time of installation.". This explains the location of pumping well W4 beside the free phase DNAPL clearly discovered prior to the startup of the off-site pumping in August 1998 but denied originally at a CPAC meeting around 2004-5 when I presented a writeup about it found in a monthly Progress Report. It was then denied repeatedly for years until the admission of its' presence at the September 12, 2024 TRAC meeting. 

DNAPLS (chlorobenzene & more) left the Uniroyal Chemical site decades ago in at least two locations ending up by the Howard St. Water Tower and by monitoring well OW58-24 on the property line with Nutrite/Yara via a "window" through the Municipal Aquitard.  Both Uniroyal and the Ontario M.O.E. colluded to hide and deny this fact from the public in order to preserve their sweetheart deal which covered up the Ministry's negligence and incompetence and which reduced Uniroyal's cleanup costs by millions of dollars. 

Sorry for the upset and disruption to thin skinned individuals at Woolwich Township who insist on playing nice with those who don't play nice, much less legally. 

EXACTLY HOW MANY YEARS HAS THE GREENBROOK WELLFIELD BEEN SHUT DOWN SINCE 2000 ?

 

This is but one of the retreaded wellfields that Waterloo Region are reopening in their desperation to keep builders and developers happy. Don't worry they do the risk calculations and theoretically at least while your risk of getting cancer will certainly rise with all these contaminated aquifers being put back in service; the numbers may be tiny such as an increase from 2 or 3 "excess" cancers in a million to a marginally greater 4 "excess" cancers in a million. No worries there especially as hardly any of us have friends, colleagues or relatives suffering cancers, past cancers or fatal cancers. Right?

 The Greenbrook Wellfield wells, K1, K2, K4B, K5A and K8 located near Homer Watson Blvd. and Stirling Ave. in Kitchener were all on standby status from at least 2003 until 2007. Newspaper accounts also advise us that that situation has continued during the 2020s whether from a chlorine/ammonia screwup and explosion or from the 1,4 dioxane contamination that came from the Ottawa St. Landfill. Now there have also been well redrills and replacements in this wellfield as the current wells are now known as K1A, K2A, K4C, K5A and K8.  These machinations if you will are common practice for the Region when they have "problematic" wells and examples in Cambridge for example include drilling past and through a contaminated zone of a well in order to pump water from a deeper less contaminated or uncontaminated zone.   

It is my opinion that this Grand River Source Protection Area Assessment Report Chapter 8, July 29, 2025 is unnecessarily thick and inflated with data that is at best filler or meant to make reading difficult and tedious. That said with enough patience and tenacity and overall knowledge a serious person can find much to be concerned with regarding this wellfield. Firstly the chances of 1,4 dioxane being the only toxic contaminant to reach the Greenbrook Wellfield from the Ottawa St. Landfill is somewhere between zero and nil. Look for benzene, chlorinated solvents and all the usual array of industrial solvents that were dumped there including by Elmira industries such as Varnicolor Chemical and if I might hazard a guess probably Uniroyal Chemical as well back in the day. Paper restrictions were strong whereas physical restrictions were not.

Other issues include high chlorides and high sodiums maybe from road salt but also common from industrially contaminated aquifers. Also I should applaud at least a couple of the Figures in this report as they do identify the Total Number of Significant Threat Activities as well as the Total Number of Properties with Significant Threats. Those numbers are huge (630, 379). They also indicate both High Unadjusted Intrinsic Vulnerability levels for this wellfield as well as High Adjusted Intrinsic Vulnerability threats to water quality. 

Waterloo Region are desperate to keep the water flowing and in my opinion they are risking your and my health for their own benefit. What else is new when it comes to water protection. 

WAS AND IS THE MANNHEIM EAST WELLFIELD IN WATERLOO REGION A BUST ?

This wellfield is located on Kitchener's west side near Trussler Rd. and the boundary with Wilmot Township. It consists of multiple Supply Wells (i.e. pumping wells K21A, K25, K29) along with Recovery Wells (RCW1-2) originally and now RCW 2-4.  Aquifer Storage & Recovery Wells (ASR1-5) are to accept treated Grand River water for storage to be pumped later into the distribution system by the Recovery Wells RCW 2-4 .   There are also a set of wells known as Peaking wells and they are designated K91-94). 

I would very much like to see audited up to date pumping rates for all these wells because the data I do have does not jive with the reality of a system constantly needing to expand along with our population. I have long suspected that the entire Mannheim  Aquifer Storage and Recovery System has not lived up to expectations whether through misadventure, bad luck or poor planning. Regardless again the data for all these wells that I have shows pumping rates well below the permitted volumes. This alone without ever greater population growth would cause pressure on other nearby well systems to take up the slack. This would include the Mannheim West Wellfield in Wilmot Township as well as the just down the road further west Wilmot Centre Wellfield which has been causing well interference complaints from local residents.

Under all the circumstances well interference is hardly surprising but what is, is the Region's hardas# attitude towards these residents and their water shortages possibly caused by again misadventure, bad luck or poor planning. 

WATERLOO REGION'S CREDIBILITY CONTINUES TAKING HITS

 

Wow! Today's K-W Record advises us that our vaunted LRT (Light Rail Transit) is having more than teething pains. The lawsuit by  GrandLinq is for $110 million. That's a chunk of change . Regardless of who's right, who's wrong and whether or not we taxpayers yet again end up on the hook; it tends to make us at the very least ask the question: "Are we getting value for money in our political governance?" Or do we have a lot of dead wood on regional council who are simply literally bums in chairs pretending to be administrators and managers of the public interest? Is it possible that half or more of them simply show up in order to receive their pay cheques with absolutely no  concern for the issues or the public interest? It has been said that the greatest and most important skill of a politician is their acting abilities. Pretending to care and pretending to want to resolve problems and disputes would seem beneficial in giving hope and confidence to citizens and residents.

If and when the entire truth is exposed around the destruction of our fabulous water resources; I predict there will be a wholesale abandoning of the ship of state. Politicians may quickly decide that early retirement sure beats being shamed and harassed into resigning mid term. I predict that as early as tomorrow or as late as the August 21 deadline for registering to run in this fall's municipal election; many rats will give varying excuses for stepping down. 

The Region have most recently mistreated Wilmot residents both with the still surreptitious huge land grab as well as the refusal to acknowledge well interference even after breaking the 1980 agreement with Wilmot over the Wilmot Centre Wellfield pumping. They have also broken faith with Woolwich (Elmira) residents for the last 36 years regarding our contaminated local aquifers caused by both private, industrial greed and negligence as well as by provincial oversight gross failures.  The Region's day of reckoning is overdue.

ARE TRAC CAPABLE OF LOOKING STUPID PUBLICLY WHILE LOBBYING BEHIND THE SCENES ?

 

I don't know that to be true but I guess I'm hoping it is so because there are at least two people on that committee (Technical Remediation Advisory Committee) that I believe to be inherently honest. Indeed it is likely to be a couple more but I just don't know them well enough to confirm that. Generally speaking I do know the deadbeats etc. well enough and know who they are.

Jen Lyndall of Integral possibly may decide never to work for Lanxess and her old buddy Hadley ever again. Or otherwise if she has no problem sleeping at night by counting sheep jumping over dead animals, livestock and or human beings.   

I'm going to repeat last Saturday's health criteria here for those with a serious bent for eye blurring numbers. These are the health standards for dioxins/furans and for Total DDT both in creekbank soils and in the sediments on the bottom of the Creek (Canagagigue). None of the criteria change based on depth i.e. surface versus subsurface soils and surface and subsurface sediments.

Soils:               DDT      .078 ppm (parts per million)

Sediments:      DDT      .00119 ppm.

. 

Soils:              dioxins/furans      7  ppt. (parts per trillion)

Sediments:     dioxins/furans       .85 ppt

DDT   in   fish     tissues                 14 ppb. (parts per billion)

dioxins/furans in fish tissues             .71 ppt (parts per trillion)

These are the numbers/concentrations that Jen Lyndall of Integral has utterly failed to put on her Tables and Figures.  Likely/possibly they are buried somewhere in her report. Or not. Starting from Figure 4-24 and going to Figure 4-63 the data tells TRAC, the public and most certainly the politicians absolutely nothing worthwhile without the health criteria being clearly marked on each and every Figure.  Is this failure Jen Lyndall's or did Lanxess (Hadley ?) ensure that this vitally important information was not to be found where it should be?

THIS IS THE FOLLOWUP THAT TRAC NEVER DO REGARDING LANXESS FUNDED SHABBY, IRRELEVANT & RIDICULOUS PRESENTATIONS

 

Regarding Tables 3-3 to 3-6 which describe Total DDT and Dioxins/Furans TEQ (toxic equivalency) generally in Creek Reaches 1-4 except for the last Table which oddly only describes Reach 4 (the Lanxess site). These Tables also represent both surface and subsurface Soils and Sediment readings. Sediments of course are in the bottom of the Creek beneath the water and soils refer to creekbank soils above the waterline. 

Previously mentioned by myself is the fact that in four pages of Tables;  Dioxins/Furans over the four Creek Reaches plus Background (below Reach 1/Grand River) and with 889 samples over many years have an average of 99.87% detection rate. This is beyond incredible, is not remotely normal or ubiquitous and speaks to massive past and ongoing releases of Dioxins and Furans downstream from the Uniroyal/Lanxess property. THIS IS BEYOND SHAMEFUL and no wonder TRAC is so tightly controlled by agenda, membership, meeting times, minutes and limited public access and less.

Total DDT detections are also high although not at the same level of Dioxins/Furans.  The lowest detection rate through five locations is 10% and the highest 100% (twice). The average detection rate in the four Reaches plus Background (Grand River) is 57% . Keep in mind this is for DDT only albeit in both Sediments and Soils both surface and subsurface. This also is not "normal" nor ubiquitous.

Regarding concentrations above health criteria the results are startling. Sediment detections are very high for both surface and subsurface DDT and in fact ALL detections from the highest to the lowest EXCEED the health criteria of .00119 ppm. (parts per million) again for Reaches 1-4 and Background (Grand River). Soil detections for DDT on the other hand while ALL maximum concentrations per area (Reach etc.) EXCEED the health criteria of .078 ppm.; minimum concentrations are all below the health criteria.

Dioxins/Furans maximum concentrations in surface Sediments ALL exceed the health criteria of .85 ppt (Parts per trillion) while only two of five areas (4 Reaches & Background Grand River) of the minimum concentrations exceed the health criteria. Subsurface Sediments maximum concentrations for Dioxins/Furans ALL EXCEED the health criteria whereas only one of five of the minimum concentrations for the five areas exceeds the health criteria. 

Dioxin'Furan Soil maximum concentrations ALL exceed the heath criteria of 7 ppt. whereas 0 of the five minimum concentrations exceed the health criteria. This is the same for both surface Soils and subsurface Soils.  

The title above states that TRAC never do necessary followups to ridiculous presentations. Let me add the following. Maybe they do privately but this is a public process and needs to be clarified to the public each and every time a deceptive, dishonest or blatantly foolish and non factual presentation is made.

 

 

  

GOT SIDETRACKED (WESTWARDS/WILMOT) : BACK TO JEN LYNDALL'S (INTEGRAL) SILLY REPORT TO TRAC

 

Silly is a nicer word than deceptive, evasive, phony or corrupt. As I have mentioned it's hard to write an intelligent and honest data Summary of dozens of sad, pathetic and client driven pieces of garbage (GIGO-garbage in, garbage out). Half the battle is won simply by a single presentation to TRAC followed by...nothing. It takes time to read carefully, analyze, understand and form an intelligent response. I've got that time and ability whereas most TRAC members who have the ability simply don't have the time or the incentive ($$$) to do so. They have paying jobs and careers and homes and families to take up their spare time. 

One of the biggest, most nonsensical pieces of crap that she bestowed upon TRAC are a series of Figures as in Figure 4-24 to 4-63. She referred to these Figures as I believe Box and Whiskey Plots. I don't know the origins of that name. These Figures allege to show large (many not all) amounts of data recorded for DDT and dioxin concentrations in Surface Sediments, Subsurface Sediments, Surface Soils, Subsurface Soils, versus either Location (Reach 1-4, Background) or Time (eg. 1996, 1997, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2022). 

There are a few issues with these Figures which I have previously mentioned such as the vertical (y) scale for concentrations visually minimizing the extent and amount of extremely high concentration readings of Total DDT and or Dioxin/Furan TEQ (toxic equivalency).There are other problems including large numbers of high Method Detection Limits (MDL) leading to far too many orchestrated Non Detects (N.D.) in the data  however the simplest and most obvious problem is the lack of relevance of the concentrations being shown. Yes you can compare the concentrations with location/distance downstream from Lanxess (Uniroyal) towards the Grand River and even somewhat over time (eg. 1996-2022)  but really and significantly what do they mean and how serious are they? Nobody knows and I think that is intentional.

Ms. Lyndall has failed to include any health criteria whether provincial or federal for either Total DDT or for Dioxins/Furans. The accepted health concentrations (which differ) for these two compounds as well as differing whether for Soils or for Sediments are MIA (missing in action). They need to be written on the Figures as well as most importantly drawn as a horizontal line across the Figures hence immediately showing how many of the data points are above (exceed) the mandated health concentrations.

Doing that exposes the massive and major contamination for five miles downstream from Uniroyal/Lanxess. This report was produced on behalf of Lanxess Canada for the purpose of once more snowing and bulldozing TRAC and the public. Mission mostly accomplished.

I THINK THAT WATERLOO REGION'S WATER SYSTEM IS IN BIG TROUBLE

 

This is based upon multiple lines of evidence. Unfortunately it's also based upon multiple lies by the Region over the years. Also multiple deceptions. Lies, bragging and puffery do not produce healthy, clean water. The Region of Waterloo based upon their own self congratulatory back patting seem to think otherwise.

Looking at lists of wells and wellfields throughout the Region I find it disheartening to see the following words after too many listed wells namely: Standby, Disconnected, Purge, Abandoned. Also looking at the Number of Significant Threat Activities and the Number of  Properties with Significant Threats as listed in the Grand River Source Protection Area 2025 is downright scary.  Looking at the various listed threats including Nitrates, TCE, Chemicals, DNAPLS, Pathogens, Salt, Chloride  etc. does not build confidence. Another issue I find strange is that despite off and on warnings of water shortages and for example water rationing for lawns, again far too many wells throughout the Region are NOT pumping anywhere near their stated capacities and alleged abilities. Why is that?

I also am aware of the disinterest in soil and groundwater remediation to the point of denial of known facts by our authorities if it will reduce costs and enhance development and building. Growth apparently is never to be stymied or stalled either by lack of water or excess of contaminants. Workarounds, engineering "solutions", natural attenuation or whatever verbal manipulations are required to promote progress and growth at all costs, always wins out. This game is not sustainable and we, our children and following generations will be the big losers.

WATERLOO REGION ARGUE OUT OF BOTH SIDES OF THEIR MOUTHS REGARDING THE WILMOT CENTRE WELLFIELD

 

Among numerous reference sources I've been reading is the RMOW (Regional Municipality of Waterloo) April 8, 2026 staff report to councillors titled "Wilmot Centre Aquifer Assessment". Hoo boy but it is quite the document.  The Region are arguing both in this report and at the Regional Council level that all is fine at the Wilmot Centre Wellfield.

Here's the rub. They are also advising that between past lower rainfall AND higher pumping rates the aquifer level has dropped three to four metres in elevation. Now perhaps on a municipal wellfield level that is not an unusual situation. Perhaps it is. Regardless if you have a private drilled well that extends 32 metres below ground surface for example and the aquifer level drops from 29.5 mbgs  (metres below ground surface) to 32.5 mbgs then guess what? You're sucking air instead of water. Prior to the aquifer's lowered elevation you had 2.5 metres or over eight feet of water level above your wellscreen (intake). 

Other issues that do not add credibility to the Region's position include their admission that certain groundwater elevation triggers have been crossed at the Wilmot Centre Wellfield already just as they have been crossed at the Mannheim West Wellfield. Then however the Region states "Crossing the trigger levels at Wilmot Centre does not mean that adverse impacts are anticipated at nearby private wells in the natural environment. This is a fundamental difference from trigger levels established under the Mannheim Well Field PTTW." (i.e. Permit To Take Water) .

Other problems with the Region's staff report include Table 1 on page 4 & 5. This Table purports to show pumping levels at three wellfields in Wilmot namely the Erb St. Wellfield, the Mannheim West Wellfield and the Wilmot Centre Wellfield. Clearly there has been increased pumping at the Wilmot Centre Wellfield from 2019/20 until 2025 compared to 1980. Also on page 8 the Region confirm that some of this increased pumping was to make up for decreased water pumping and problems at FOUR Kitchener Wellfields namely Strange St., Parkway, William St., and Greenbrook. Finally I find it peculiar that Table 1 does not include the Mannheim East Wellfield immediately beside but just over the Wilmot boundary from the Mannheim West Wellfield. Perhaps it is the incredible number of wells and total amounts of nearby pumping that is causing likely well interference issues with private wells.

Add to this in the report the Region's immodest attitude is characterized by their self admitted incredible, world class, superior professional and astute management of everything wet in Waterloo Region and you begin to suspect that they've been taking lessons from trash talking MMA fighters prior to losing a major fight (Conor McGregor anybody?). Somewhat like Donald Trump it's almost as if the Region are looking over their shoulder cringing at the expected upcoming disaster but bragging to give themselves courage, or as my father used to say they are whistling by the graveyard to hide their fear.

TOO MANY "GENTLEMENS'" AGREEMENTS BETWEEN POLLUTERS, POLITICIANS & THE JUSTICE SYSTEM

 

I mean one could call it exactly what it is which is corruption. That word however is too coarse for our refined, polished and smooth operators. They are O.K. however with "unwashed masses", lower classes, ne'er do wells,  homeless etc. for all those beneath their high station in life. Supposedly making a buck is a social good according to many. Yes "trickle down" economics is popular especially among the well to do. The theory is that all economic activity from building submarines to widgets helps everybody. The rising tide lifts all boats theory. Naysayers of course suggest that what is "trickling down" may not be of much quality or good. Some even suggest that it is merely the rich peeing on the poor and giving them their refuse, their wastes etc. One example might be the ABTC or A Better Tent City. Geez I hope I've got the right name and location here but my understanding is that the ABTC is situated almost beside the Erb St. Landfill. Lucky them. Not only do they get most likely a plumbing hookup to the nearest water system/wellfield which is the Erb St. Wellfield and it's direct hydrogeologic connection to the contamination plume beneath the dump BUT they also get, depending on the prevailing winds, to enjoy the odours of everybody else's garbage. 

Just try calling the police for illegal dumping on private property albeit with a shared aquifer beneath it. Just try to get a Crown Prosecutor to lay criminal charges for off-site toxic chemical odours leaving an industrial site. There are direct connections between TCE, vinyl chloride, NDMA, benzene and many other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) routinely leaving industrial sites and serious to fatal diseases. Thousands of people die every year just in Ontario from air pollution. Where are the manslaughter or murder charges especially for repeat offenders?

It is our politicians who write our laws including the exceptions and loopholes. How many loopholes do you see for owners of semi detached homes, townhouses or lower cost housing who accidentally spill a couple of gallons of gasoline ?  However if you are a corporation or business person the rules suddenly change and you are given opportunity after opportunity to either mend your ways or at least hide them better. How often do you see serious polluters sent to jail? Severin Argenton (Varnicolor Chemical) in Elmira was one of the extraordinarily few. He was sentenced to eight months in jail after the Ontario Ministry of Environment refused to abide by their own initial Control Order and investigate deeper soils and aquifers on his property. Hence it was twenty-five years AFTER he served his eight month sentence (or part of it) and had passed on before Uniroyal/Lanxess and the Ontario MECP admitted publicly that he had indeed contaminated the Elmira Municipal drinking water aquifers with half a dozen chlorinated solvents. That folks is justice when polluters, politicians and justice system members (eg. Robert Reilly) all socialize together at Westmount Golf Club and other non-public venues.

THE LAKE ERIE PIPELINE IS A GIVEN WHICH EXPLAINS BENIGN NEGLECT TO OUTRIGHT GROSS NEGLIGENCE IN PROTECTING OUR GROUNDWATER

 

The last two Blog postings I have been listing some contaminated wellfields in Waterloo Region as well as some of the dirty polluters who did the deeds as well as the toxic chemicals that they either intentionally or gratuitously deposited into the soils and into our publicly owned aquifers. Today I'm filling in some missed data as well as giving my overall impressions as indicated in the title above. 

Firstly B.F.Goodrich (Epton) and Kaufman Rubber should be on the known polluter's list versus merely suspected as I posted last Friday.  Greb Shoe on Hayward Ave. (Kit.) also needs to be listed here. Regarding contaminated wellfields we also have additions as I've been rereading somewhat. The Lancaster Wellfield located near Lancaster and Guelph St. has been disconnected for many years. The source of the problem was the former Panill Veneer Co. near Louisa and St. Leger St. in Kitchener. The real culprit however was a well known local illuminary who owned the original grossly contaminated property known as the Breithaupt Tannery.

Various landfills causing off-site contamination include the Caroline St. location of a former landfill as well as the Erb St. Landfill which is located far too close to the Erb St. Wellfield. Despite cute drawings pretending that the Erb. St wells do NOT pull contaminated water from the known contaminant plume below and off-site of the landfill; that seems highly improbable. Of course the Ottawa St. Landfill has enhanced the Greenbrook Wellfield as most likely has the larger landfills in Cambridge. In Elmira we have the Bolender Landfill leaking into the Canagagigue Creek with Uniroyal stuff, the First St. Landfill leaking more into the "Gig" a little further downstream and the M1 and M2 Landfills. The second is on the Uniroyal/Lanxess property and prior to 1992 helped enrich Elmira's drinking water groundwater. Varnicolor Chemical in Elmira also deposited toxics at various Kitchener, Waterloo and Woolwich Landfills.

Back to "problematic " we have the Waterloo North Wellfield roughly near the Laurel Ck. Conservation Area with one " disconnected "well which is then described as a "flowing well". This could mean that it is a Purge or Interceptor well being used to catch the front of a sub surface contaminant plume and pump it to waste such as into a ditch or surface water body. The very contaminated William St. Wellfield (TCE) has one purge well pumping as well as one or two others removed from service. The Erb St. Wellfield has well 6A described as "problematic" and not pumping as well as W6B being on "standby". Gee all these pumping wells with provincial PTTW (Permits To Take Water) that either aren't pumping at all or are vastly under pumping what the province has permitted them. You'd almost think that we had excess water available here. The Foxborough Green Wellfield has one well "disconnected" and the New Dundee Wellfield has one well "abandoned".  All the Pompeii & Forwell Wells have been "disconnected" for decades and the Woolner river wells just downstream have been under pumping and or closed off and on. The Strasburg Wellfield has one well that is "disconnected". Likely well E7 at the south end of Elmira will continue as a Purge well in order to protect the never been used for production well yet E10 further south at Scotch Line Rd. 

It isn't just the provincial and regional refusal and failure to stop gross groundwater pollution from 1955 until 2000 that upsets me. It's the blatant lying and denial since to seriously clean up at least the worst of the contamination affecting groundwater, wildlife and human life. Nothing but excuses, drivel and puffery bragging about how technically advanced they are while poisoning everybody. For years I thought that it was misplaced loyalty to both important business people and pro business ideology but now I think that it is worse. It is a long held pie in the sky belief that Lake Erie water will allow permanent growth and expansion in order to keep the money flowing to our industrial and business class also forever. We are on a horrific death spiral and we are being led by greedy idiots.

  

SOME OF THE CHEMICAL ENHANCEMENTS IN OUR WATERLOO REGION GROUNDWATER

TCE is very popular.  Trichloroethylene  can be fatal as a number of persons in the Bishop St. community of Cambridge have learned the hard way. Usually however it leads to years of sickness and ill health first. Dinoseb is some sort of pesticide that we were advised caused the contamination in the northern part of Cambridge. Plasticizers and phthalates have been found in the Grand River and the groundwater at the south end of Cambridge. TCE is also in the same groundwater right beside the Grand River. 1,1,2 Trichloroethane has been found in the groundwater between Bishop St. and the Grand River also throughout the Bishop St. community.

Waterloo has been blessed with TCE in their groundwater and the major wellfield near the downtown. Obviously with coal tar constituents nearby it's difficult to believe that some of them (PAHs?) haven't also been dissolved and mobilized into the wellfield. The same goes for the coal tar found on Gaukel St. in Kitchener by the very old post office. 

Speaking of Kitchener we have TCE in a number of wellfields. It is combined with some other VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that freshened the air inside a former local tire factory. Many workers paid the price for working there. More exotics include P.C.B.s which are better known as floaters on the water table i.e. LNAPLS or light non aqueous phase liquids. Nevertheless they have a small solubility in order to add spice to the groundwater's flavour. Chlorinated solvents as well as oil and gas PHCs (petroleum hydrocarbons) also add to the groundwater mixture between Fountain St. and the Grand River near Breslau.

Elmira literally has dozens to hundreds of chemicals in their groundwater although our authorities have only focused on NDMA, chlorobenzene and ammonia. Lots more PHCs in Elmira as well as Heidelberg. Probably low levels of DDT and Dioxins are also dissolved in the groundwater here.

This is but a sprinkling of the variety available in our groundwater. Let's not forget Glyphosate (Round Up), salt and Nitrates. Lots for everybody  

IS IT RUDE TO SUGGEST PUBLIC HANGINGS IN OCTOBER INSTEAD OF AN ELECTION?

 

Well at least Canada is civilized enough (so far) to cause abhorrence and shock at the title above. That said I just bet that by the end of this post there may just be a few who think it's not that bad of an idea. A little radical and a lot permanent, regardless.

Yesterday's post painted the broad strokes. We have way too much salt, nitrates, pesticides and solvents in our groundwater.  Yes it is fair to suggest that the Region of Waterloo are trying to educate the public about the health threats from two of them namely salt and pesticides. Good but nitrates is at least a little verboten (forbidden) to lecture about because after all it's our farmers who feed us and the world. Politically a no-no. Nitrates are very bad for our older citizens especially those with heart problems. Have we forgotten cryptosporidium I wonder. That's a virus I believe found in cattle crap (dung).  It actually killed several people here in Waterloo Region in the early 1990s. Cattle doing their business in and along rivers and creeks introduced it into the water supply eventually through the Grand River at Mannheim which golly gosh our authorities hadn't considered that special treatment was needed.

The really big one however is solvents which also could include some chemicals also used in pesticides although the Region's focus on pesticides has been primarily garden and lawn overuse. Back to solvents. The following wellfields have measurable, concerning levels of toxic chemicals from industry in them. By the way if you think going after agriculture/farmers is a political no-no; Waterloo Region would prefer to cut off your heads rather than point the SHAME finger at our local industrialists and major polluters. Here goes:    Greenbrook, Parkway, William St., Strange St., Pompeii, Erb St., Middleton, Elmira still!, plus one or two more in Cambridge which have temporarily slipped my mind.  

The business/corporate names include  Ciba-Geigy, Northstar Aerospace, Cnd. General Tower, Canbar, Sunar, possibly the former Seagram's, likely the former Uniroyal Tire on Strange St. (Kit.), Kaufman, Budd Automotive, Safety-Kleen (Breslube), Uniroyal Chemical/Lanxess Canada (Elmira), Strauss Fuels (Elmira), former Strauss service station (Heidelberg),  Kitchener Gas Works (Gaukel St.), Varnicolor Chemical (Elmira), Regina St. Waterloo (coal tar).

Now I've reviewed this list in my memory banks and I'm sure that I've missed several others and as well  I'm wondering now about Kaufman Rubber. Let me transfer Kaufman Rubber at least for now onto the suspected list only, along with B.F. Goodrich formerly at the corner of King and Victoria St. in Kitchener.    

Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the Grand River. Our municipal, regional and provincial politicians have all been grossly negligent in protecting our groundwater mostly originating from the Waterloo Moraine on the west side and a little north of the tri-cities and actually partially extending under them. In reference to yesterday's Blog post let me just say that nitrates are very bad in Wilmot Township presumably due to commercial fertilizers used to grow crops. The other problems in Wilmot include the Region's admitted over pumping in the Mannheim West Wellfield (Wilmot) AND the hydrogeological connection between the Erb St. wells (Wilmot) and the Erb St. Landfill.    

Speaking of landfills how smart do you have to be to locate a landfill anywhere near a drinking water Wellfield? The Region have done it at least twice maybe more if you look carefully in Cambridge.  The second one is the Ottawa St. landfill in Kitchener which has donated 1,4 Dioxane to the Greenbrook Wellfield causing it to be shut down in 2005.  Engineering solutions translate into more and more expensive treatment of our groundwater. By the way reading the Rules & Regs for all of these landfills means very little. Back in the day I exposed mostly Varnicolor Chemical dumping 45 gallon drums of liquid solvents, illegally, into the Ottawa St. Landfill. That did make the K-W Record at the time.

Our groundwater isn't what it used to be and some of the perpetrators are listed here.  

WILMOT'S WATER IS GOING TO BALE THE REST OF US OUT????? OR MAYBE A PIPELINE IS THE PLAN

 

Who are they kidding? At some point in time there will be another water crisis in Waterloo Region. It's a given. This one however won't mostly consist of developers and builders demanding their profits keep on increasing. This next one will be citizens being told that they are on water rationing. They will be told that there will be so many hours per day when their taps will not provide water. Regional Councils and municipal councils are going to want to fortify their council chambers and administrative buildings. Citizens will be outraged as well they should be.

Here is the good news, sort of.  The Region will vehemently protest that it's not their fault. It's Global Warming & Climate Change. Their staff are world class leaders in water protection, water conservation, water distribution and all that. They will go to great lengths to suggest that anyone and anything other than themselves have caused this catastrophic shortage. They might even blame the Federal government and ...holy crap...actually suggest that maybe, just maybe 1,000,000 people in Waterloo Region by 2051 wasn't such a hot idea afterall. Perhaps we should have found more water first. Perhaps we should have built more sewage treatment plants before the influx. Perhaps hospitals, doctors and nurses shortages should have been remedied first. And on and on.

Here however is the reality. We and by we I mean our politicians at all levels have given business and industry a free ride for the last century. Frankly they have done the same thing with our farmers and agriculture in general. We are now reaping the rewards of exempting those two industries from environmental laws, environmental enforcement and environmental stewardship. Perhaps cars and roads are also culprits with he alleged amount of salt now in our aquifers. Agriculture has contributed Nitrates en masse to our groundwater. Industry have contributed solvents including TCE, NDMA and chlorinated solvents. Oil and gasoline are also big culprits whether from service stations leaking tanks or other sources. 

The Region of Waterloo have talked a good game. Unfortunately they started way too late and they've continued heavier with the talk and the reports and studies while ignoring enforcement. They haven't even had the backbone to stand up to the impotent and incompetent Ontario Ministry of Environment (MECP). Contaminated soils and aquifer remediations are a pathetic joke even when they do happen. Underfunded for decades, the MECP get pushed around in and out of court by large industry at will. 

Our aquifers are a mess from all these mentioned contaminants. Never fear because the same folks who made money polluting them will now jump on the PIPELINE bandwagon and invest in bringing polluted Lake Erie water here to Waterloo Region. Money will be made just not by you and me. That is not our purpose in life. We, the public, are here to pay the bills via our taxes. The price of water and water treatment will continue to rise until it's a great excuse to build a pipeline. Taxes will still go up but at least we'll have a secure supply of crappy water for a while. God bless democracy.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? IT'S A MIRACLE! WE MUST ALL BOW DOWN TO THE MAGNIFICENCE OF OUR REGIONAL POLITICIANS & WATER PROVIDERS

 

There are two articles in today's K-W Record. The first is by Joe McGuinty and is on the front page. The second is by Luisa D'Amato and is on page A4. Mr. McGuinty's front page article is dishonestly and deceptively titled "Region finds "significant " new water capacity, easing constraint". While I usually don't begrudge a little literary flexibility in headlines, this one grates me. Absolutely no "significant" new water capacity has been found whether "significant" or "new".  What has been found is a catchall word used by professional liars namely "optimization". It was used up here in Elmira more than twenty years ago and despite serious criticism then and a demand for a clear definition all we got was mumbo jumbo combined with assurances that we, the credentialed suits, know best. In fact  in that case optimization ended up meaning less on-site pumping and treating of highly contaminated groundwater at Uniroyal Chemical's  (Crompton) expense and more off-site pumping and treating which is 50% paid for by the taxpayers.

I might add that the alleged "new" water capacity is the exact same water from the exact same aquifers allegedly being pumped a little harder at one well and perhaps a little lighter at other wells. I have long referred to this regional water management practice as "musical chairs". In Waterloo Region's case they have done it with contaminated wells in order to affect the direction of contamination plumes. As the plume approaches a particular well you shut down pumping and go to another well instead. The contaminant plume will slowly revert to it's natural flow direction under non pumping conditions. Other terms for this practice include "Interceptor Wells".  These are wells that are drilled in front of a contaminant plume and are then pumped to waste hopefully protecting other wells further downgradient.

Not only is there absolutely no new, significant water capacity but in fact what the Region is doing is taking old decommissioned wells due to industrial contamination (solvents mostly) and recommissioning them. I call that retreading them and as I wouldn't put retreaded tires on my car/motorcycle I also don't want to drink water from retreaded wells. 

Ms. D'Amato deserves credit for her article titled "The water crisis is over. Now it's time to ask: Why?" She states that she does not understand what "optimization" really means and : "I'm not a hydrogeologist (and there wasn't one at Tuesday's news conference to ask) but I didn't understand how that worked to increase the overall supply. I wanted more specific answers, and I think the public does, too. "  Ms. D'Amato may be smelling the same horse manure that I am. Apparently yet another "study" is underway that sometime down the road will clarify all this. That is most likely even more bull (or horse) as far too many "professional" studies are simply credentialed suits selling their clients own opinions back to them under the guise of third party, independent and unbiased parties. It's all about credentialism and fooling the general public who are not experienced or knowledgeable on the matters under "study".

IS THE K-W RECORD NO MORE THAN CONTROLLED OPPOSITION FOR THE WEALTHY, POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL?

 

I hinted at this yesterday here when I advised that they have full knowledge of  the contamination downgradient from the current Safety-Kleen site and hence should be demanding the release of various hydrogeological reports done decades ago on the area. Secondly on a totally different topic don't you find it strange that despite the Federal government threatening to charge perhaps as many as two million Canadians criminally and then seize their legally acquired private property from them; hardly so much as a tsk tsk out of our local papers. Are they now being financed by federal government handouts in order to survive and at least give the appearance of a strong media standing on guard for Canadian rights and values?

Thirdly is the Elmira Water Crisis. I originally bought the storyline that this is no longer news. It's old hat. It's allegedly not of interest to Waterloo Region citizens, residents and  water drinkers. If perhaps both the Record and the Observer would get off their butts and do their jobs they might just find that this is a huge unfolding story. It's even more than that. It's a coverup of huge magnitude including ALL our local politicians (O.K. only 95%) . Making excuses as they are now doing as the 2028 deadline is looming is one thing. Pretending however that gee willikers there are parts of the Elmira Aquifers that are much less contaminated than they used to be so grab a glass, turn on the tap and we promise you won't die immediately. Honest Injun. Oops! Make that Honest Indigenous because politically correct language including gender pronouns is far more important than minor matters of poisoning (slowly?) Canadian residents and citizens.

  Yes it does go back on us to some degree. If I am virtually the only person ringing alarms and raising red flags locally then we are certainly done. Just mail in your independence, free thinking and rights to demand better from our governments and be done with it. 

IS LUISA D'AMATO BLOWING SMOKE OR JUST PARROTING THE REGION'S LIES?

 

Before expounding upon the title above which is relevant to Luisa's article in today's Record ("Here's the way out of the region's water crisis") I would like to add that I do give Luisa credit for her last Friday article in which she strongly advises the Region not to leave some Wilmot citizens behind as they suffer from well interference issues caused by increased regional pumping of water for our major cities. She makes it clear that the quoted R.J. Burnside 2025 Water Report categorically states, contrary to the regional position, that increased pumping from the Wilmot Centre Wellfield (Shingletown K50/K51)  has lowered the water levels in those wells and in the specific aquifer involved (AFB2).

In today's article however Luisa appears to have swallowed various regional lies . One I would claim is what Luisa calls "Optimization". Here in Elmira we were sold that same big word as if it's official sounding nature immediately makes it true. It does not. In Elmira it eventually meant that rigorous conditions put on the cleanup were relaxed which merely reduced Uniroyal Chemical's cleanup costs and did nothing for the cleanup itself. In fact it may have actually hurt it. 

The second bigger issue is the use of the "river wells" as they used to be called. Luisa stated that these wells on the west side of the Grand River were removed from service because due to water conservation they were no longer needed. HORSE MANURE !  First of all the wells were on both sides of the river with some K80 wells on the west side and wells K70 and K71 on the east side. K by the way stands for Kitchener. The Region I believe lied then when they claimed they were shut down because algae in the very nearby Grand River was causing both odour and taste problems. The reality also consisted of gross soil and groundwater contamination immediately upgradient of these wells located between Forwell Sand & Gravel right next to the river and Safety-Kleen further upgradient (east). The contamination consisted of oils, fuels, solvents and PCBs likely released during the Forsythe or Breslube days prior to Safety-Kleen's purchase of the contaminated property.  

Luisa D'Amato and the Record already know this because I have told them so in writing months ago but perhaps they have a conflict of interest going on. 

REGION OF WATERLOO RACING TOWARDS MORE HUMILIATION & LOSS OF PUBLIC CONFIDENCE

 

Maybe they've already decided that there isn't anyone left in Wilmot who supports any of them hence they may as well throw a tiny group, population wise, to the wolves than to even suggest the tiniest cutbacks on water for the tri cities and the rest of the Townships. By throwing to the wolves I am suggesting that the Region really don't care if every single family in Wilmot Township have to remortgage their homes in order to either drill new, deeper wells or simply to extend their current wells to a greater depth. That might at least partially explain their ridiculous stance on well interference claims. This of course only applies to those rural properties on private water systems. 

The recent R.J. Burnside report is an eye opener in that it clearly states that municipal aquifer levels (AFB2) in Wilmot have been declining for the last six years and that this corresponds to climatic effects AND to increased pumping for use in the rest of the Region. In a nutshell the regional councillors are a bunch of cowardly bullies hiding behind the law, lawyers and Wilmot citizens good nature. That is a long term recipe for disaster and I only hope when the payback comes that it is focused on regional politicians.

The Region are also counting on citizens being preoccupied with families, jobs, climate change (heat domes etc.), health (cancer especially) etc. Distracted citizens work best for a perverted democracy such as we have that refuses to look after all their citizens and in fact plays one group off against another. How many of these Wilmot citizens remember the map that the Record published last January showing the various aquifers and aquitards? That Figure or cross-section is a subsurface conceptual geological model of the Wellesley and Waterloo Moraine and more which clearly indicates how wells need to be drilled deeper as the aquifer levels (AFB2) subside. 

Frankly only liars and sociopaths could continue denying the facts. No politician will ever vote in favour of criminal charges for politicians proven to be liars. Guess why.

ADJUSTMENTS/AMENDMENTS TO LAST WEDNESDAY'S (i.e. GIGO) POST

 

I do not have a Mathematics degree. I did graduate in Economics (B.A. 1974) from the University of Waterloo. Yes I did take a third year Statistics course and passed it with a lot of hard work. That said I can't remember the last time I actually refreshed my memory with Log scales, Logarithmics or for gosh sakes Calculus which I genuinely despised. It's been well over half a century ago approximately. 

Why did I suggest that the vertical scale ( i.e. y axis I believe) was a Logarithmic scale? First of all bear with me if my terminology is incorrect here. Most linear scales for example might be scaled such as 0, 2,4,6,8,10,12 etc. up the y axis. Or they could be 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, etc. 

I believe that I got fooled by the vertical scales in Jen Lyndall's (Integral) report because they were scaled as follows:  .01, .1, 1, 10, 100     Note that each higher number up the vertical scale is TEN times the number preceding it.  Hence the actual numerical difference between spaces of similar length isn't the same as it is with the two linear scales in the preceding paragraph. In this scale presented in this paragraph the numerical difference between marked points is   .1-.01= .09   The next numerical difference between marked points is 10-1= 9    The next numerical difference between marked points is 100-10=90 .

Ms. Lyndall's graphs actually have quite a variety of vertical scales on them including  .1, 10, 1000 as well as .1, 10, 1000, 100,000 and some that I find rather bizarre such as   .03, .1, .3  followed by .03, .1, .3, 1, 3 As weird as these last two are in that they are neither equal difference in values between them like paragraph 2, NOR is each higher up the scale number a similar multiple as in paragraph 3 (i.e. 10 times).

What is my conclusion? Both Log scales (paragraph 3 at first blush) and I hesitate what to call the scales in paragraphs 3 and 4 with either the exact same multiples (i.e. 10) used moving up the vertical scale or as in paragraph 4 the .03, .1, .3 and .03, .1, .3, 1, 3 with different multiples between marked points ( 3.3, 3, ) and (3.3, 3, 3.3, 3) now appear to me to be an aberration. 

To be clear I have been referring to Jen Lyndall's Figures 4-24 up to 4-57. which plot concentrations of DDT and Dioxin/Furans on the vertical y axis and either location as in Reaches 4, 3, 2, 1 downstream or a number of graphs have dates (years) on the horizontal x axis. Now all the graphs have concentrations on the vertical y axis either mg/kg (parts per million) or ng/kg (parts per trillion) depending on which of two contaminants (DDT or Dioxins/Furans) they are looking at.  Regardless these concentrations are marked whereas Logarithmic numerics are not, which has me now believing that these are all linear scales albeit some of them I still believe are bizarrely scaled and labelled.

Is there a purpose to this. Of course there is. All Log scales AND all linear scales using multiples of the previous marked value as they rise up the vertical scale reduce the visual aspect of exactly how high the highest values actually are. If they went up the vertical scale in a linear fashion such as 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18  can you imagine how large the page would have to be to register say a 114 value? Therefore by using a scale such as 2, 10, 50, 250  (multiples of 5) you can readily fit in the 114 value PLUS  visually the 114 value sits much lower on the page and doesn't so drastically appear out of place with all the lower values.

The other advantage for unscrupulous polluters is simple confusion. You can pretend that you are transparent and putting all data on graphs when in fact you are intentionally making the graphs as confusing as possible. 

P.S. Speaking of NOT putting all data in reports shouldn't Table 3-3 of this report under Maximum Detected Concentration for Background (Creeks/Ditches) have a value of  24.4 ng/kg (ppt.) for Dioxins/Furans rather than the 9.0 ng/kg listed? This just happens to be the Stroh Drain which, coincidentally I'm sure, is one of the major coverups Lanxess are involved in.

   

 

AN INCREDIBLE BREAKTHROUGH IN ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY? TRAC ASSISTING WITH VICTIM SURVEYS

In the United States the concept of a "captured" regulator is well understood. Whether this goes so far as to include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency I can not be certain. Up here in Dogpatch (Woolwich Twn.)  it has been readily apparent that for the majority of the decades since 1992 that Uniroyal Chemical and successors have "captured" the public consultation body. This is hardly surprising as even a long term TAG and TRAC member, Sebastian, has written about the deference TAG and TRAC members constantly show to Chemtura and then later Lanxess Canada. Sebastian has also explained in detail how this has occurred including the members simply being overwhelmed with various and numerous technical reports without them having their own technical experts to refute controversial positions and opinions of Lanxess and GHD.

 Regarding victim surveys I expect that Lanxess and the Min. of Environment want to spread the responsibility to include citizens on TRAC. This of course in no way indicates that these citizens have any influence or control whatsoever over the (dirty) polluter and regulator who have thoroughly enjoyed their forever holiday from serious oversight or accountability. By victim surveys I mean TRAC have been asked to come up with questions to presumably ask citizens and residents mostly of Elmira but maybe of Woolwich Township overall. Now here's the rub. There have been all of zero health studies done of human beings in Woolwich or Elmira exposed to Uniroyal's toxic emissions. There has however been testing on fish species in the Creek. Perhaps GHD in their infinite perfection have found a way to survey proven victims of Dioxin and DDT poisoning. Will TRAC therefore be speaking to the fishes?

At first blush I thought that Jen Lyndall (Integral) had carefully ignored tissue residues in fish. That would be understandable considering that they are even more significant than health exceedances found in Creek sediments, creekbank soils, creek waters and floodplain soils of Dioxins/Furans, DDT & metabolutes, PCBs, Mercury , PAHs and more. Fish are living organisms within the Canagagigue Creek and aside from their intrinsic value in the ecosystem they are also in the food chain of bass, the very occasional pike and more likely mink, raccoons, herons, hawks, coyotes etc. Unfortunately these predators up the food chain suffer even more as most of the contaminants mentioned bioaccumulate as they go up the food chain. 

Her two Figures (4-62, 4-63) show Total DDT and Dioxins/Furans concentrations in fish tissue. They do not show the Tissue Residue Guidelines (TRG) for any of the fish species which at least reinforces my negative feelings towards her report (i.e. Data Summary).  Not that I'm considering changing professions from environmental activist to that of a professional, intellectual prostitute, but if I was I too would not include the health criteria in these two Figures leaving as usual the public and TRAC in the dark (& covered in sh*#).  

GIGO - GARBAGE IN GARBAGE OUT JEN & HADLEY MAKE HORRIBLE MUSIC TOGETHER & CALL IT SCIENCE

 

I sure hope that Jen Lyndall was well paid for the garbage report that she presented to TRAC on Thursday June 18, 2026  titled "Data Summary Report Canagagigue Creek And Floodplain".  I am not bringing into disrepute Ms. Lyndall's qualifications or credentials. I watched the entire on-line video (Woolwich Website) and was quite impressed with her presentation manner, speaking clarity, thinking on her feet handling questions etc. It is the actual content of her report that I find dishonest, disingenuous and disgusting. I expect that a huge part of that is because her report should be more accurately titled  "Data Summary Report of a Polluter's Talented and Energetic, Decades Long Efforts To Minimize and Coverup Toxic Pollution".

I have spent much of the last thirty-six years debunking all the lies and distortions presented by Elmira's infamous polluter.  Sorry I need to be more specific when Woolwich Township have happily hosted Varnicolor Chemical, Rothsay Concentrates, Breslube/Safety-Kleen and Uniroyal Chemical. I am now referring to Uniroyal/Lanxess. I have spoken at UPAC, CPAC, RAC, TAG, Woolwich Council and even Regional Council. I have written reports to all those semi to fully corrupt bodies plus TRAC. The general rule is minimum to zero questions followed by NOTHING. No followup, no requests for clarification, no discussion and no debate. This is essentially how Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura and Lanxess have operated namely by denying occasionally but mostly simply ignoring legitimate, researched opposition. 

This latest report is full of omissions as well as red herrings. DDT breakdown products (DDD, DDE) are not well examined. Numerically lower Reaches (1, 2) in the Creek are given short shrift. Provincial and Federal health criteria are noticeably missing in action. One would think that they have some serious value in a report like this. Logarithmic concentration scales for many of the Figures are a little unusual compared to reports done by CRA/GHD. The charitable view might be that CRA/GHD have more accurately concluded the technical capabilities of most of the public consultation members. The uncharitable view might be that CRA/GHD are simply continuing their amateurish report writing efforts by avoiding logarithmic scales even when they are appropriate and advantageous.

More and better needs to be done with these logarithmic scales. Mostly the vertical scales (concentration) need to be better with more values written on the vertical scale. This would help elucidate the values of the raw data presented by Ms. Lyndall. Also short shrift again seems to have occurred with Lindane in Ms. Lyndall's report. Samples were taken and values determined in some earlier major reports (eg. 2020 GHD) . 

Overall Ms. Lyndall was handed a croc of an assignment. Personally I would be hard pressed to want to put my name on any report that only purports to be legitimate and scientific. Gussying up crap science from those before you is a stinky job with some of the odour bound to transfer your way. All my past objections to these Creek reports continue on here as they have NEVER been honestly or accurately publicly debated. This includes MDLs, shovels versus core samplers and locational sampling biases.

NEW WATER ALLOCATION ASSISTING WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP

 

Today's K-W Record has an article by Bill Jackson titled "Woolwich allocates water to Elmira projects". This of course is in relation to the Region of Waterloo Water Crisis which was first announced last December. There are three specific projects in Elmira which can now proceed with the best known likely being the former Trinity United Church on Arthur St.  The other two projects are the infamous Hawk Ridge Homes down on the corner of Union St. and First Ave.  It is infamous due to the lengthy delays occasioned by the presence of Sulco Chemical (CCC) and Lanxess Canada (Uniroyal) across the road.  Woolwich wisely attempted to not approve this subdivision based upon noise and odours at a minimum and toxic air emissions as a possibility. The third project is the residential construction scheduled for 22 Church St. which I believe is the now former Home Hardware site. 

I would suggest that all of these projects should make hay while the sun shines because just like the current power outages happening this morning in Elmira, the water supply is on a shaky foundation. The Region of Waterloo are so desperate that they are squeezing the 20% safety allocation as well as recommissioning both old well fields closed due to contamination and or other likely infrastructure issues. 

THE TRAVESTY & SHAME OF DECEPTIVE AND DECEITFUL MONITORING REPORTS BY LANXESS CANADA & GHD

 

My focus today is on the 2020 Canagagigue Creek Sediment and Soil Investigation although most of my comments refer to the bulk of what passes for scientific study and investigation surrounding the Creek over the last fifteen to twenty years. This report is one of those recently examined by Jen Lyndall of Integra Inc.. Keep clearly in mind that I'm not commenting on groundwater or other environmental issues today hence please do not make the mistake of thinking that my silence in any way imparts some kind of tacit approval. It does not!

The 2020 GHD report on Lindane, DDD, DDE, DDT and Dioxins/Furans in the Creek is essentially a whitewash or if you will a greenwash. Above and beyond so many massive deposits of these toxic chemicals found in creek sediments and creekbank soils is the use and abuse of Method Detection Limits in assigning Non Detects throughout this report.  The worst offenders are Non Detects with Sediment samples however there are some doozies with soils as well. Overall the number of non Detects with high to very high Method Detection Limits has ruptured the credibility and accuracy of this entire report. This goes for all four reaches of the Canagagigue Creek as well as of some of the Background sampling. 

  If as I have indicated above massive deposits of various toxic chemicals have been found then how is this report deceptive and deceitful ? Firstly all criteria exceedances are supposed to be highlighted. They simply are not. Too many have been missed and only discerning, competent readers will spot them  on the first time through. Most will not. That in and of itself is deceptive and misleading. Secondly some of the MDLs are out of this world as they are 10, 20 and or 100 times higher than the health criteria presented in the report for various chemicals whether located in sediment or soils. In my opinion some of these MDLs appear to be tailored towards certain reaches for example in order to minimize them and to give the appearance that other reaches are more contaminated.

I have over the years and decades presented this information before. Like everything else that does not follow the narrative put forth to the public; contradictory evidence, opinions and reports are given zero weight by the polluter, fellow travellors and friends. Inconvenient facts and truth are simply dropped and ignored and generally discussion avoided as much as possible.

JEN LYNDALL/INTEGRAL CANAGAGIGUE CREEK DATA SUMMARY REPORT: AN INTERESTING BUT MOSTLY USELESS PILE OF PUS

 

How could it possibly not be? It's a Data Summary of many, repeated, poorly done, amateurish and inaccurate other reports all done by bought and paid for consultants on behalf of their dirty polluting clients be they Uniroyal, Crompton, Chemtura or Lanxess.  I will concede that the level of "dirtiness" may be decreasing as the time distance from the gross daily dumping until now continues to expand. 

Background concentrations are extremely high near the start of the report as comparisons are made for example between Upstream Background concentrations of Dioxins/Furans and Total DDT in various media (soil, sediment, surface water) and further downstream Reaches in the Creek. I did not see any reference to various relevant criteria on any of these Figures and in fact I found it very difficult to find tiny subtly different coloured circles representing concentrations of contaminants relative to alleged Background values. If the Background levels are actually that high then I would suggest that upstream (& downstream) dumping (legal or not) is a significant cause. Like most of the inaccurate information and data concerning this site, inappropriate Background locations have all been properly and publicly presented at public meetings simply to be ignored for evermore if it does not suit the polluter's/regulator's narrative. 

I did not find fish tissue concentrations.in this report.  A skeptic might suggest that that is because the data is strong and very negative concerning the ongoing health threats to both wildlife and human life ingesting contaminated fish (mercury, PCBs, DDT, Dioxins/Furans). A kinder, gentler critic might suggest that Lanxess/MECP simply did not advise Ms. Lyndall that that data existed. This perhaps would be in-line with the nonsense and disingenuous claims of various remediation done around the site. I was there when most of these "remediations" allegedly took place and the Figure showing them is a crock. Further to this I just love it when Uniroyal/Lanxess "fellow travellors" expose their biases and dishonesty. Hadley did it with crap about the on-site pits and ponds being "...remediated thoroughly". Utter bull Hadley. You weren't there and none of them were excavated through the bottom of the pits and lagoons which is where the contaminants went on their way to both the Upper Aquifer and the Municipal Aquifer. Also Susan Bryant made some dumb remark about former municipal landfill M2, on the Uniroyal property, being closed before Uniroyal made Agent Orange. What kind of crap is this Susan? One I think your facts are wrong but even if your timing is on, so what? This landfill is on Uniroyal/Lanxess property and after the municipality quit putting garbage in the landfill it was still right there for more industrial disposal. Also Ken Reger (former employee) testified at the Environmental Appeal Board hearings that he saw Uniroyal drums buried  there and finally both 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T wastes were buried there and once leaking you had Agent Orange with the 2,3,7,8 TCDD probably already in the 2,4,5-T and the 2,4-D having it's own dioxins along for the toxic ride.

I can't help but notice that there has been some "thinning"  of data in Integral's Data Summary. For example including the various government health criteria  for dioxins/Furans and DDT in various media (soil, sediments, fish tissue) would give a far better understanding of the risk involved with the concentrations of these chemicals found in all media from fish tissue to soil, sediment and even surface water which is damn interesting when we've been advised for decades that these chemicals are hydrophobic and essentially insoluble in water. The fact is they are soluble but at a very low concentration plus they are more likely to exist in the Creek as DDT and Dioxins/F attached to particles as suspended sediments in the water. 

All in all a useless report but a fun read nevertheless. I do not blame the author (Lyndall) so much as Hadley and other Lanxess fact deniers and fantasy boosters.

THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND: ANOTHER SHAMEFUL & DEEPLY DISTURBING TRAC MEETING

 

A week ago yesterday the TRAC meeting was held in Woolwich Council Chambers. For the second time I had to get on the Township to post the video of that meeting on their Woolwich Township website. To their credit they did so quickly after I called.

There are smart people on that committee including Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach.  There are smart and credentialed people on that committee including a hydrogeologist, a municipal planner, a regional water department staffer, possibly even a biologist or an ecologist. There are technical people and some very untechnical and uncredentialed persons with other soft skills such as human psychology, human manipulation and other skills; such as Susan Bryant. There are honest people and blatant liars present. There are a few with knowledge of the site and far too many who know nothing prior to their appointment to the committee. Some have common sense others less. What there is a complete lack of is members with serious Elmira environmental knowledge going back to 1989 combined with honesty, common sense and at least a minimum of  hard, technical skills including maths and sciences.  NOT ONE, and it is  intentional, on that committee has all those requirements. I do which is precisely why mayor Shantz , Lanxess and the Min. of Environment (MECP)  do not want me on that committee nor able to speak to them directly.

I viewed the entire TRAC meeting (June 18/26) on the Woolwich website last evening and it was beyond painful. Misunderstandings, incorrect facts and guesswork were prevalent throughout the meeting and they were NEVER corrected or clarified by the few who did know the facts and the truth. At one point Sebastian (the brightest light of a very dim bunch) conflated numbers of samples taken with number of DETECTIONS of two toxic chemicals. Hence he asked if that particular Table spelled out that more attention should be paid to the upstream reaches of the Creek ( Reaches 3 & 4) closest to the Lanxess site than the further downstream ones of Reaches 2 and 1.  Not only did nobody correct him or clarify his obvious honest mistake but Hadley Stamm (*5 minute wonder) of Lanxess actually had the nerve and the  brass to answer him with "Right but I'm not going to take that jump yet.". She actually agreed with his incorrect conclusion but was careful to delay that conclusion until the next or a later meeting.

Jen Lyndall of Integral Inc. somewhat mystifies me. Apparently she is a former friend or colleague of Hadley Stamm (not good). She presented the first part of a Data Summary to TRAC at the meeting. In my opinion this is just one more in a long litany of Public Relations nonsense issued by the polluter and its' successors for the purpose of green washing. There is way more than enough data available between soil, sediment and fish tissue sampling to know how grossly contaminated the Canagagigue Creek still is, even after allegedly stopping dumping over fifty years ago. It would seem to me that five decades of flushing and flooding of the Creek should have long ago flushed all the mobile and even semi mobile deeper sediments down into the Grand River and further (Lake Erie) by now. Unless of course contaminated groundwater and soils/sediments are still via natural processes (or with help) being released from the grossly contaminated former Uniroyal Chemical site.

My final comment today :  Sebastian pointed out to Jen Lyndall (Integral) that Tables 3.3, 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6 all indicated that dioxins/furans were DETECTED in surface sediments, sub-surface sediments, surface soils and sub-surface soils 100% of the time from a total of well over a thousand different samples. Oops I misspoke! Table 3.4 has the only dioxin/furan detections below 100%  for sub-surface sediments. It was 98%  . Ms. Lyndall responded "Yes even in background locations which is interesting" .   Credit goes to her for being accurate and honest on that point although either Hadley or some other DNAPL/ Dioxin  deniers suggested that dioxins are ubiquitous. They are not thank goodness ubiquitous at the concentrations also indicated in those four Tables.

The scam, the sham and the coverup continues. I still expect some token, tiny cleanup of part of the Creek with everybody's fan favourite Susan Bryant being handed some environmental award for her  acting skills over thirty plus years, aided and abetted by the guilty parties. 

 

SOP "REVIEW" OF ENVIRONMENTAL WATCHDOG (RAC/TAG) TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO

 

It was a typical Woolwich "review" which means that it was done for appearances sake not to reform or improve it. Afterall they has been working perfectly just  as planned by Chemtura and the Ont. Ministry of Environment . TRAC ended up replacing them  and stands for either Totally Rotten and Corrupt or what Woolwich calls it which is disingenuous. Regardless there was exactly zero improvement from the public's viewpoint and interest.

The Woolwich Observer published a story titled "Woolwich to review how its environmental watchdog functions" written by Leah Gerber on November 9, 2023. In it Sebastian was the only member to tell it like it is with multiple criticisms and concerns including the committee being routinely at a disadvantage technically and often bulldozed. Other members such as Eric Hodgins, Wilson Lau and Susan Bryant thought that that was just fine. They made excuses as well as deflected towards better communications with the public.

The bottom line is that the committee can suggest this or that and even criticize something strongly but  it goes nowhere if Lanxess and the MECP are not in favour of it.  One obvious example is RAC, TAG & TRAC's attempts to get a commitment to clean part of the Canagagigue Creek whether semi fake "hotspots" or actually any part of the downstream highly contaminated Creek. All they have commitment wise is delay, delay and more delay without any commitment whatsoever to do a damn thing. 

THE ENVIRONMENTAL ETHOS OF WATERLOO REGION

 

The Wilmot Land Grab

The Waterloo Region Water Crisis

The Elmira Water Crisis

Failure to honestly advise the public re: Uniroyal 

Failure to honestly advise the public re: Ciba-Geigy, Cnd. General Tower

Failure to honestly advise the public re: Northstar Aerospace & the Bishop St. community

Failure to honestly advise the public re: TCE & the Middleton Wellfield

Failure to honestly advise the public re: Breslube and Safety-Kleen 

That's enough for now for you to understand the problem. They were very late to the party to protect our groundwater supplies in 1989-90 in Elmira and elsewhere. They didn't even have a single hydrogeologist on staff for Pete's sake. Since then they have consistently insulated, protected and covered up each and every dirty polluter within the Region of Waterloo. They are far too beholden to our local businesses and industries including those doing major harm to both our environment and to our residents. 

Their dishonesty includes Non-Disclosure Agreements in order to keep the tax paying public constantly in the dark. It also includes attending public consultation forums such as in Elmira but failing to speak out publicly to denounce corporate policies that they know are inadequate at best and just plain a coverup at worst.  Their quiet presence in a sense validates the entire totally inadequate process. Their refusal to stand up and say what needs to be said loud and clear simply emboldens arrogant polluters.

I have been advised that they have in the past done good things regarding hard urban/rural boundaries limiting where development can go. They do have smart people on board but I suspect the main problem is and always has been the career politicians who call themselves regional councillors. Most are mouthpieces for the status quo, the influential and the well off. 

WHY AM I SO CONFIDENT ABOUT THE GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION IN THE POMPEII & WOOLNER WELLFIELDS ?

 

Well there are a few reasons. Firstly I know how difficult it is to remove contamination from both soils and groundwater once it is there. I have been following very closely the unsuccessful efforts here in Elmira for the last 36 years. If talk and bull were cleanup they'd have been done many years ago. The so called cleanup efforts to the best of my knowledge in and around the Safety-Kleen site in Breslau have not been even 5% of the efforts, cleanup and pumping done both on the Uniroyal site as well as those done directly below ground in Elmira. 

I have seen and read past groundwater monitoring reports done on the east side of the Grand River, between Safety-Kleen's operations and the Grand River. A large part of this area was and maybe still is owned by Forwell Gravell. These monitoring wells are not solely shallow groundwater but also deeper groundwater in which the nearby pumping wells are screened. Lots of various solvents are present presumably from earlier efforts to bring in dirty oil for recycling that unfortunately contained these solvents whether unintentionally or intentionally in order to get rid of them.

With my own eyes I have seen colour photographs of various excavations done on and near the Safety-Kleen site. I have seen sub-surface soil excavations of contaminated sites before whether the two Varnicolor sites in Elmira or the Uniroyal site also in Elmira. They are not a pretty picture and just like at Uniroyal, I expect that without massive on-site source removal, the site and surrounding groundwater will never be clean much less achieve even our modest drinking water standards.

Two wells for sure are on the east side of the Grand River and the rest recently mentioned in the K-W Record are on the west side of the river. However their well screens are well beneath the river bottom and pumping will easily draw water from the contaminated side, under the river and into the wells.   

All of this combined with the likely Mickey Mouse upcoming Environmental Assessment will make for very bad quality drinking water. Bon appetit !

EIGHTY YEAR OLD TODDLERS ON THE WORLD STAGE

 

Why is anybody surprised anymore by Donald Trump's behaviour? He has an extremely recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran which firstly I'm sure he has a copy of in English and secondly so does the rest of the world and it says that hostilities must end in Lebanon.  Now maybe Trump's first stupidity was agreeing to something he maybe can't deliver namely Israel stepping back from it's hostile activities in Lebanon. Regardless the twit signed it.

Then as Israel continues pounding Lebanon, Iran as promised sends some missiles over to Israel to remind them about the MOU which granted they have not signed. Then Trump who at least used to have access to the best and brightest brains in America not only threatens the country of Iran with further attacks but he goes so far as to suggest  that the Iranian leaders and emissaries present at the negotiations in Switzerland should behave or they might not make it back home to Iran. Holy crap what an assh#ole Trump is. He only recently invaded a sovereign country (Venezuela) and kidnapped their President and under his command the U.S. has actually bombed Iran in the past DURING peace negotiations. He has also threatened the sovereignty of Cuba, Greenland (Denmark) and Canada.

Assuming that at one time he was sane and rational, it appears that  those days are long gone. There are mechanisms for America to remove a President who has become incapacitated whether by age, physical health, mental health or even by criminal behavior. That time is now due before he singlehandedly starts World War Three.    

FRANK STRONACH "NATIONAL TREASURE" MY AS* - CONVICTED FELON IS MORE LIKE IT

 

His dickhead lawyer actually called him a national treasure AFTER he was convicted. Perhaps convicted felon is better than the truth which is that he is also a convicted felon with allegations of being a serial rapist. These most recent charges and newer victims are coming up in 2027 and just the delay alone suggests to me that he is being given every opportunity to do the honourable thing and pass on before further tarnishing his formerly grandiose reputation. I have to wonder how long he's felt the need for private security. Maybe only since he was first charged but possibly ever since his first rape...oops I mean his first consensual sex with a female who later brought charges against him.   

Neither his lawyer nor himself were immediately yelling that they would appeal the decision. Strange. Any chance that it was a negotiated deal between Stronach and the prosecutors? Something along the lines of plead guilty (and no appeal) to the most minor charges and we'll give you a pass on the many rape charges. Maybe the idea was that Stronach literally would die before the next trial was started much less completed. Perhaps his sentencing on these two convictions will shed light on the matter. 

Hopefully he will quickly lose his Order of Canada status and medal . How many of our authorities knew that he had an indecent penchant  for younger women BEFORE he was recommended and then appointed to the Order of Canada? How many other Order of Canada recipients have behaved as Frank Stronach has? I wonder if even one right wing Conservative with a strong business reputation is now looking over his shoulder and wondering if his past criminalities may yet catch up to him. 

The $64,000 question is did his wealth, status, power and influence postpone justice coming and knocking at his door until so late in life? Would an ordinary Canadian have been able to behave so poorly for so long and then be allowed to age gracefully into our 90s before running afoul of the law? Specifically who and how many in our justice system make these decisions to let celebrities break the laws of the land ? Finally how do we purge our Justice System of the scum who allow this corruption? How many other judges are out there simply enforcing the status quo and protecting the entitled from the rules and laws that we are expected to follow?

CONSERVATIVE THINKING REGIONAL COUNCILLORS ARE RUINING THIS REGION ENVIRONMENTALLY & BY HOUSING, POLICING & OF COURSE WATER ISSUES

As Luisa D'Amato also stated in today's K-W Record (front page) people's rage against regional councillors is starting to show.  Fortunately for the councillors the vast majority of them do not seriously believe that homeless people, unemployed people or handicapped people in any way really are people.  Of course they are politically astute enough not to say so in words other than by their votes which even then some just love to gussy up and gild the lily when they vote to kick the already downtrodden in the teeth or worse.

Conservatives are always careful to shield industry and business from their own excesses whether they be toxic dumping, unsafe labour practices, nickel and diming employees and or shorting hours at every opportunity, hiring discrimination, at work gender harassment, promotions based more on popularity and less on job performance etc. etc.

Housing policies including development taxes, land costs and disincentives to lower cost housing have all managed to fuel our housing crisis whereby decent housing now is only available to those with jobs paying in the upper 25% of wages. By decent housing I'm including apartments and other rental housing in good shape. Of course these same regional councillors would rather spend taxpayers dollars on more legal fighting than actually donate a small piece of regional land for a tent encampment as suggested by Justice Michael Gibson. Again kicking the less fortunate in the teeth makes them feel like they are special. 

Our regional councillors grossly failed female police officers a few years back when these officers were attempting to end the ongoing and clearly tolerated sexual harassment within the ranks. Even the female regional councillors shut their mouths and kept their heads down not wanting to be seen as aligning with lowly employees in their dispute with illegal police employment behaviours. Now the complete group of #*$#holes from senior management to sitting regional councillors apparently can't understand why our local police force are having troubles attracting qualified female candidates. Idiots!

Regarding our water troubles I see a couple of problems. Firstly LRT has seriously hindered our finances throughout the Region from fewer regional services such as transfer stations, fewer police in local townships (Woolwich), reduced garbage collection and most certainly greatly reduced water infrastructure maintenance. The second problem is what I call the Israeli-Trump syndrome. In our case it is the Developer- Regional government syndrome. They are both identical in that when the Israeli right wing divot Netanyahu yells "Jump"  U.S. President Trump yells "How high?". 

There are a few decent ones on that regional council. Perhaps five or six out of 16 in total. Start paying close attention as for example Luisa D'Amato (K-W Record) sometimes lists how specific councillors have voted on specific matters. There is an election this October and we need to desperately get rid of most of the old guard who view their job as exactly that: guarding the privilege of the already entitled in Waterloo Region . 

POLYSESOUVIENT FUDGE THE STATS & WHY I HOLD BOTH SAFETY-KLEEN & WATERLOO REGION IN CONTEMPT

 

Recently (yesterday?) I mentioned Woolwich's Double Whammy against citizens of Waterloo Region. While Waterloo and Cambridge are no slouches in the industrial pollution department I believe that little Woolwich Township is the double prize winner as in # 1  for worst polluted site i.e. Uniroyal/Lanxess in Elmira and they are also # 2  i.e. Safety-Kleen in Breslau. Now do keep in mind that while Safety-Kleen are and have been legally liable for the environmental state of their site, incoming PCBs and all, nevertheless it is my expectation that the bulk of the environmental discharges, emissions and general pigginess can be attributed to the owners of the site before them as mentioned in yesterday's post here.

Regarding Polysesouvient, the very active anti private firearms ownership lobby, I have to point out that there is a very solid rebuttal in today's K-W Record under Letters To The Editor by a Mr. Dennis Watson of Waterloo titled "Report not what it looks like".  He points out that the relevant RCMP 2024 report ignored 60% of the Canadian statistics as neither Ontario nor Quebec numbers were included. This is because unlike many of the other provinces these two provinces have their own municipal police forces in almost all communities/cities and  I believe that the O.P.P. covers the rest. Also for the provinces and locations where the RCMP are the only police force present, Mr. Watson states that "...a third of the guns recovered could not be traced,". Personally I must also add that here in Ontario both our biggest and most crime troubled city (Toronto)  has had their municipal police force go on the public record as saying that removing firearms from registered and licensed owners will not lessen crime. The Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.) have also publicly said the same thing as well as suggesting that indeed the large majority of illegal firearms involved in crime in Ontario are smuggled here from the United States.

Getting back to dirty polluters let me advise readers of the following. In my younger days I travelled on foot extensively and sometimes took self guided tours of various regional contaminated sites.  Somehow I do not recall if I had written or verbal permission all the time although I do recall to Mr. Ron Stroh's credit he personally did give me permission on one occasion to tour his property on the immediate east side of Uniroyal/Lanxess .  It is truly amazing what an observant person can learn by walking a contaminated site. Also way back when Rich Clausi coined the phrase the "Full Aerial Response Team" (FART) when the Ministry of Environment demanded to know how we obtained photographs or possibly environmental samples of this and that.

I have seen first hand gross pollution on the Safety-Kleen site. I and everybody else has certainly smelled it over the decades. I have also obtained hydrogeological reports from decades ago describing the gross sub-surface pollution obviously caused by either spillage or dumping or both. I have a few months back sent data and pictures to relevant environmental researchers. I know how serious the ground and groundwater contamination has been and likely still is between the operating area and the Grand River. Much of this property was and maybe still is part of I believe the Forwell (gravel) Pit. I also have work connections decades ago to employees at Forwells. There was limited attempts at hydraulic containment of a very small part of the site decades ago in an attempt to keep the PCBs floating on top of the shallow aquifer (also known as LNAPLS) from migrating downgradient en masse to the Grand River.  

I expect yet another phony sham of an Environmental Assessment to "prove" exactly what the Region and Safety-Kleen want which is something giving the guilty parties the good housekeeping seal of approval. 

  

HAVING JUST LEARNED OF HIS PASSING I HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO DISS ON HIS GRAVE: WATERLOO REGION ARE DESPERATE ENOUGH TO RECOMMISSION CONTAMINATED WELLS

 

No I am not referring to any politicians in the first part of the title above.  That would be rude and disrespectful. Having said that how many people currently feel that there is anything wrong with being rude to Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and other dead @*+#heads? Not very many. Having said that how many people feel that there is anything wrong with being rude to the following living people namely Putin, Netanyahu, Trump etc.? Probably a lot more than you think.

Exactly how desperate are they for more water in Waterloo Region? The fools are so desperate that as was hinted at months ago they are considering reactivating contaminated wells that were shut down decades ago along the Grand River  at the south end of Kitchener and just north of Cambridge. To be specific we are talking about wells that are known as GUDI which stands for Groundwater Under Direct Influence of surface water. The surface water is conveniently located downgradient from the former Forsythe Oil and Breslube and is currently known as Safety-Kleen in Breslau.  Yes Breslau is right across the Grand River from Kitchener and is a fine example of how we do our remediation of contaminated soils and waters here in Woolwich Township. Yes this can be attributed to a very strong Conservative work ethic and ideology that diminishes and suborns  the importance of clean air, water and soils to the far more important padding of private parties bank accounts often at the cost of the public interest. 

Interestingly the article in today's K-W Record on page A3 by Bill Jackson refers to wells only on the west side of the Grand River. Now of course the wells' names and numbers are listed although at least a couple are missing. In fact who but me and long term Breslau locals plus consultants and well paid suits have any idea of how many wells are missing and which side of the Grand River they are on? Coincidentally (not) I am sure that the missing wells named K70 and K71 are on the east side of the Grand River.

Yes the east side putting them even closer to Safety-Kleen and ground and groundwater contamination from the former pigpens located there. That contamination includes the former "Black Lagoon" which does not refer to black gold (oil) as it is sometimes referred to in Texas.  Well actually maybe it does because also nearby was/is ? a former sub-surface pool of oil floating on the water table enriched with industry's finest Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs). Now keep in mind the Grand River itself may somewhat block further westward flow of contaminated shallow aquifer water but it does not deter contaminant flow in deeper aquifers westward underneath the river. I expect that these other wells are screened into those deeper aquifers. 

Do not fuss citizens of Waterloo Region. Good Conservative ideology believes that not just a few but the many can have their thirst quenched by toxic groundwater diluted by both dozens and more other wells as well as by the river water and its' accompanying algae and odours. By the way instead of being honest about the gross contamination left by Forsythe and Breslube; the Region who shut all these wells down  35 to 45 years ago blamed the shutdown on algae and accompanying odour issues.

ARE JUSTICE CRAIG PARRY & JUSTICE ROBERT REILLY BROTHERS? NEPOTISM IN OUR LOCAL JUSTICE SYSTEM??

 

I mean their names are different but that could be either shame at each other's last name or could they be brothers from a different father? It's very difficult to understand when one is dealing with similar types of ignorant behaviours much less different ones. For example without reference to any evidence whether documentation, examination or cross-examination Justice Reilly in his 86 page decision found all seven of my witnesses to be unreliable and inaccurate on the stand. Justice Craig Parry on the other hand dismissed over fourty witnesses for the prosecution (all women) in the Jeffery Sloka case advising that their testimony was unreliable and sometimes worse. 

Well you have to give the award for brass and nerve and stupidity to Justice Craig Parry I guess. Also in my case Justice Robert Reilly dismissed both men and women whereas Justice Parry was more consistent in his gender dismissals. Oh but maybe that's because he doesn't like examining male genitals as much as he does female ones hence there weren't any male complainants or witnesses to his behaviour. Regardless I accuse Justice Reilly of being a piker and only second best in the stupidity and corruption games played in our courts here in Waterloo Region. Both of them are a#@*holes and who nominates and appoints these @#*holes to judgeships in the first place? It's politicians if you can believe it. No surprise there.

Today's K-W Record article by Luisa D'Amato (Pg. A3) refers to the rally organizer as stating that our justice system is one of the "...broken systems that deny our humanity." Truer words were never spoken. I have long stated that our justice system is tainted, biased and grossly user unfriendly for normal citizens. It is however a playground for the wealthy and entitled to reinforce their positions of wealth and power. It is generally beloved by school boards (WRDSB) and municipalities including Woolwich Township. Those bodies have no qualms about spending money on legal fees to your and my (taxpayers) last nickel.

Let us not also forget how our local courts embraced two of our local politicians after they both were caught in a series of errors, mistakes, on purposes? and behaviour contrary to the provincial legislation known as the Municipal Elections Act (MEA) back in 2015-2017.  In Mark Bauman's case the Motion restoring him to his council seat was given by a local judge "ex parte". Do you know what that means? The MEA ordered his removal from office for failing to file any Financial Reports after the 2014 municipal election much less about three elections prior to that. "Ex parte" means without any other party which means yours truly the complainant was not even advised by the courts or anyone that Mark was attending court to get his council seat back. As Rich Clausi later suggested, in sports, that would be akin to throwing the game by having the opposing team not allowed to attend the proceedings. Mayor Shantz also got off after among other tricks misstating to the Judge the timing of giving her "updated" Financial Report to me and some others.  I too was the complainant on that case. Her lawyer even threatened me prior to court that if I attended he would bring up the earlier Justice Robert Reilly decision against me. I attended on my own time and had to ask for permission to speak against Ms. Shantz's position which was grudgingly at best permitted albeit to no avail. Apparently, surprise surprise, sitting politicians (similar to police officers) are given huge leeway and the benefit of the doubt as a matter of course. Oh and her lawyer besides had actually tried to bluff and intimidate me to not attend court and give testimony. While I find that grossly unethical behaviour I don't know if it's illegal.