Tuesday, 11 August 2009 00:00
On Friday, May 8th, 2009 the Anishinabe Women of Christian Island and Waubeshene, Ontario began a peaceful weekend protest camp out to Dump Site 41, located in Tiny Township, just north of Elmvale. On Sunday, May 10th it was very clear that our message was not heard and that the protest must go on until production of Dump Site 41 is permanently ended. We will continue to keep our protest camp operational in the adjacent farmland from Site 41.
Site 41 is an engineered landfill that will be situated on 150 acres of predominately prime agricultural land located on several aquifers in a flood plain, beside the headwaters of MacDonald Creek which runs into the Wye River and into Georgian Bay. This area has so much water that artesian wells are common (no pump needed, natural water pressure). The Alliston Aquifer (as well as shallower aquifers) is located under Site 41. These Aquifers provide water supplies for local residents and area farmers and extend to supply drinking water to other communities.
In July 2006, Dr. William Shotyk (Professor and Director of the Institue of Environmental Geochemisty) and Dr. Michael Krachler, both of the University of Heidleberg, Germany, confirmed that the concentrations of the most trace elements in the groundwater at and around Site 41 are at or below the concentrations cleanest layers of ancient arctic ice. When further compared to bottled waters (132 brands from 28 countries) it was found that bottled waters in PET plastics are contaminated with antimony, arsenic like chemical and bottled waters in glass are contaminated with lead due to leaching from containers. The groundwater from Springwater and Tiny Township yield much lower antimony concentrations than any bottled water tested.
In May June 2008 issue of Canadian Water Treatment magazine, Dr. Shotyk stated: “The extremely low concentrations of metals (in the Elmvale are of the Simcoe lowlands, where Site 41 is located) such as lead begs the question: what makes this water so clean?
Tests show this water is not more than 20 years old. The ‘pristine’ groundwater is in fact, rainwater from the 1980’s that has slowly percolated through the glacial debris that makes up the local hills and acts as the source area of these groundwaters. Filtration though the soils- where chemically reactive surfaces provided by the Organic matter (humus), iron oxides, and clay minerals abound purifies the water to a remarkable extent. The multibarrier concept was developed by Mother Earth through rock, weathering and soil formation long ago. Now imagine if this natural filtration process could be replicated and reproduced all over the world?
One of the main concerns regarding the Site 41 design is the dewatering of groundwater. The County of Simcoe has a Permit to Take Water in which they began pumping on March 30th, 2009 at 810 000 L/day for 30 days and 410 000 L/day thereafter for 365 days. This water is dumped into the MacDonald Watershed, which the people at the camp have seen done with their very eyes. According to Dixon Hydrogeology Limited “dewatering would have to stay in place until there is enough load on the prepared areas to prevent the basal heave, Given the proposed site development sequence, this means that dewatering would have to be ongoing for most of the active site life. If we assume that dewatering is necessary to allow the cell base to be constructed then for all practical purposes, the dewatering would become a design feature for almost the entire life of the Site development, not for a 3-month period each year’. Henceforth, draining the underlying sources from what is the World’s Most Purest Water.
There are three sources of contamination for Georgian Bay; through a breach in the leachate collection system of the Site 41 design, toxic chemicals will immediately flow through the MacDonald Watershed to Georgian Bay, via the Wye River, also affecting the surrounding residential wells in the area in a post-Walkerton era. It will further contaminate the lower Alliston Aquifer which runs from the Oak Ridges Moraine to Georgian Bay. The Alliston Aquifer is a part of a larger hydrogeological system with the Laurentian River directly below. If contamination occurs, it has the potential to adversely affect the whole eco-logical system of Central Ontario and the Great Lakes.
The third contributor to water contamination is the leachate treatment, which is confirmed to be done at the Midland Water Pollution and Control Centre. As per a conversation with the Manager at the Treatment Plant with Steve Odgen, heavy metals and drugs can not be fully treated. It is impossible for water, after becoming leachate, to be restored to its natural splendor. This water will be treated and then released in to Georgian Bay.
Dump Site 41 is in the final stages of design and expected to start receiving waste from 4 municipalities by the end of September 2009. Since we have begun our protest, Site 41 production has more than doubled decreasing the amount of time expected for production. The time for action is here!
Our protest continues with our on-going Sacred Fire, using our medicines and our prayers to fight this abomination in the most peaceful and respectful way possible. Dump Site 41 is in direct conflict with all our cultural and heritage beliefs and practises as the First People of this land. This is the duty of Aboriginal Women to protect the water and ensure this valuable resource for generations to come. We will continue to stand for the water by participating with the Farmers in their one-day tractor rolling blockades, while we drum and sing. National Aboriginal Day we will be hosting an Open Drum Social: Honouring the Sacred Alliston Aquifer to begin at 12 pm. A Music Festival is being planned for July 4th, all located at the Protest Camp. Potlucks are at 6:30 pm every Saturday at the Camp.
A Sacred Fire has been planned for Florida, USA when the fire ban is lifted, A Candle Light vigil is being planned for Newmarket and Aurora, Ontario. Another Sacred Fire also burns at a private residence in Tiny Township, Ontario as well as in Toronto, Ontario. Private residents of Britain have also expressed interest in lighting as Sacred Fire. As well as a number of individual homes who regularly light candles and offer prayers for this cause.
We continue to urge people to sign the petition at www.stopdumpsite41.ca as well as letters to Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, Jon Gerretson, Minister of the Environment, Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada to take action on stopping the business transaction of Dump Site 41. International supporters can write to their levels of Government to urge our Prime Minister to stop Dump Site 41. People of the Commonwealth Countries are encouraged to write to Queen Elizabeth, as Aboriginal People are subjects of the Crown and this water has been deemed the Purest in the World.
Please also join the Facebook Group: Aboriginal Women Protest Dump Site 41, 1500+ members strong and growing.
We need everyone’s support! We need people to take the same stand we have. Our Children & Grandchildren are depending on us to ensure these resources.
Love and Prayers, Anishinabe Kweag; Vicki Monague, Elizabeth Brass Elson, Alida Elson, Pauline Monague, Shelley Essaunce, and all the protesters at Dump Site 41.
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