I would like to comment on the message from County Clerk Glen Knox referenced in your Jan. 17 article. Mr. Knox alleges, "The Federation of Agriculture (OFA) has not approached the County for information concerning Site 41."

Even if that statement were true, it is illogical. Had the County been forthright with information, as they claim, there would be no need to contact them further because all relevant information would already be in the public domain .

Contrary to Mr. Knox's assertion, the OFA and it's members have been in frequent contact with the County and the Ministry of the Environment on this matter and regrettably, OFA members have had to call upon the Information & Privacy Commissioner, no fewer than three times, to gain access to over 20 documents previously withheld by the County.

The most offensive and deliberately misleading point raised in Mr. Knox's letter is with respect to the quality of the water flowing under Site 41. As Mr. Knox points out, the water does not consistently meet Ontario Drinking Water Guidelines.

What Mr. Knox fails to mention is that the County's own investigations reveal the ground water quality complies with the standard EXCEPT FOR HARDNESS. Hardness and iron are included as water quality parameters for aesthetic reasons: they can affect the taste and colour of the water. Neither of these elements has any relevance to health, outside of being ESSENTIAL for all living organisms.