FDEP Approves RAPA Plan to Clean-up Tallevast Contaminated Groundwater

TALLEVAST– The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) recently approved the Remedial Action Plan Addendum (RAPA) for cleaning up the contaminated groundwater associated with a former machining plant at 1600 Tallevast Road. Lockheed Martin has already shelled out $35 million and plans to pay "whatever it takes" for the project including construction of a water-treatment facility which will begin next spring, just the start of a predicted 50-year-long venture.

”A good analogy I use is this -- imagine a drop of ink in a swimming pool. You can’t just reach down and extract it. It is dispersed, and the only way to get it out is to filter it out of thousands of gallons,“ said Gary Cambre, Lockheed Martin media relations. ”We’d love to clean this up in six months–but it is going to take time.“

The purpose of the cleanup project is to contain the plume of impacted groundwater and reduce concentrations of concerning contaminants in order to meet regulatory standards. The plan calls for reducing the majority of the pollution within the first five to ten years, but the cleanup will continue for several decades.

The community voiced concerns when a due diligence assessment, done initially to sell the property in 2000, revealed heightened levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in shallow groundwater at the eastern portion of the facility. Distress increased in 2003 when it was discovered that the VOCs had migrated off-site to the northeast, possibly affecting 22 private shallow-water wells that were in use, as well as the soil of six surrounding properties. The FDEP’s soil and ground water sampling results have shown that contamination exists at deeper levels than first believed. It also showed levels of contamination at 10,000 times more than the state’s applicable standard amount in certain areas.

Manatee County utility first provided impacted homes with a temporary connection to the public water supply. Lockheed Martin agreed to pay the residents’ water bills for the temporary connection. Both entities then worked together to get a permanent water connection for those residences.

The corporation has been working for several years with the FDEP, the Florida Department of Health, Manatee County and independent technical experts representing the community to assess the nature and extent of the plume and determine the best method for cleanup.

American Beryllium Co. (ABC), the former precision machining/metalworking plant that manufactured from 1961 to 1996, is most likely responsible for the contamination.

Lockheed Martin is a global security company that is engaged in the research, design, development, and manufacture of advanced technology systems, products and services. The majority of Lockheed Martin's business is with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. federal government agencies. In fact, Lockheed Martin is the largest provider of IT services, systems integration and training to the U.S. Government. The remaining portion of Lockheed Martin's business is comprised of international government and some commercial sales.

Lockheed Martin acquired the former ABC site as part of its 1996 acquisition of Loral Space & Communications Ltd.  Lockheed Martin ceased operations in late 1996 and sold the property in 2000. The corporation discovered groundwater contamination during an environmental assessment in preparation for selling the property. They then re-acquired the property in June of 2009 in order to facilitate the implementation of the Remedial Action Plan.

”Even though we didn’t create the contamination, we’re the ones that own it now, so we have to pay for the remediation,“ said Cambre. ”The fact of the matter is the two other companies no longer exist – so there is no one to handle the responsibility but us.“

Lockheed Martin notified the FDEP upon discovering the on-site contamination and entered into a voluntary site cleanup including a soil excavation program conducted in 2001. The company remains dedicated in their on-going effort to eradicate the pollutants.