Tuesday, March 7, 2017

MORE MONITORING, INVESTIGATION & ASSESSMENT - HEAVEN FORBID NO CLEANUP



The Ontario Ministry of Liars and Deceivers aka the Ministry of Errors and Excuses (MOEE) aka (also known as) the Ministry of Errors and Corporate Collusion (MOECC) released their Ecological (Risk) Assessment on Canagagigue Creek yesterday. I saw the two hundred pages on my e-mail this morning. They have finally publicly admitted that there are sediment quality Guidelines which had been denied by Jason Rice of the MOECC last fall. Shameless and unbelievable in their behaviour. This I believe is the primary reason Dr. Jackson resigned as TAG Chair although I suspect he was encouraged behind the scenes by Sandy and Mark. I repeat that, to date, is only a suspicion.

I have read the entire raw data which was only released to me a little over a month ago although the Township received it late last year. I have also read the Executive Summary and the Covering letter. The Ministry of Environment are admitting that there are many exceedances of guidelines and criteria for multiple contaminants both in the sediments and in the fish in the Canagagigue Creek. These contaminants in exceedance are Dioxins/Furans, PCBs, DDT & metabolites and Mercury. There are other low level contaminants (pesticides) indicated although I do not recall recent testing for Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). These were an issue twenty years ago and probably still are.

All the data are in place for the MOECC to order Chemtura Canada to clean up of the creek. The M.O.E. have spent the last five years testing sediments, floodplain soils (barely), fish tissues and benthic organisms. The guidelines and criteria are based upon the most up to date science which indicates the concentrations which cause adverse effects to the environment and wildlife living in and around the creek. Despite this the corrupt Ontario Ministry of the Environment still refuse to do so.

Theirs is not a do nothing report, quite. They are recommending more monitoring, more investigation and more assessment. Of course ordering Chemtura Canada to actually excavate, dredge or otherwise remediate the creek from their site downstream to the mouth of the Canagagigue at the Grand River is much too appropriate and hence radical for them. Afterall Chemtura might object to any such order. Corrupt governments rule environmental non-cleanups in this province. Just ask the folks in Grassy Narrows.

1 comment:

  1. Correction: Testing was done for PAHs in sediment in 2015. I believe that is the first time in twenty years. LEL (lowest effect levels) were met or exceeded on a couple of occasions only. Sampling did not occur further downstream than the New Jerusalem Rd.

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