Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
A small wastewater treatment system pumped all the facility's wastewater streams to an evapora-
tion pond before the facility was connected to the public sewer system in 1986. The wastewater
treatment system was subsequently removed and the pond backi lled and paved ( www.tallevast.info ) .
An unspecii ed quantity of soil was removed from the evaporation pond at the time of closure
(TetraTech, 1997). A 400-ft-deep supply well provided water to the site; it was located near the plating
shop where the wastewater sumps were located. This well was reported to have been in use through
the 1970s; it was abandoned when the facility was connected to the municipal water supply.
A series of sumps were reportedly located near the wastewater treatment facility (TetraTech,
1997). One sump, dug near the plating shop, was described as an unlined pit i lled with gravel and
used between 1968 and 1984 for disposal of acid baths. The pit was paved with concrete in 1984
(TetraTech, 1997). The sumps were determined to be the predominant source of groundwater
impacts at the site (Cilek et al., 2004).
The i rst indication of the presence of solvents in groundwater was noted in 1987, when 1,1-dichloro-
ethane was detected at 65 μg/L in a single groundwater sample (TetraTech, 1997). A 1993 investi-
gation of a fuel leak at a nearby i berglass boat manufacturer revealed TCE in groundwater at
concentrations of less than 25 μg/L (Cilek et al., 2004).
In 1996, a major aerospace contractor, referred to hereafter as “the responsible party,” acquired
the ABC and closed the Tallevast facility in the same year. In 2000, the responsible party sold the
facility to Wiring Pro International (WPI) but retained the groundwater and soil remediation respon-
sibility (FDOH, 2007). In 2000, the responsible party identii ed VOCs during a due diligence inves-
tigation to support the land sale to WPI. Manatee County Environmental Management and the
FDEP were notii ed voluntarily of the VOC contamination caused by American Beryllium's past
operations in July 2000 by the responsible party ( www.tallevast.info ). Between 2000 and 2003, the
responsible party performed voluntary assessment and soil removal at the former ABC site, with
oversight by the FDEP.
During the course of the voluntary investigations in 2002 and 2003, VOCs, chromium, and
beryllium were identii ed in soil and groundwater. In 2001, 538 tons of impacted soil were removed
and landi lled offsite as an interim cleanup measure. In July 2003, FDEP approved the Contamination
Assessment Report that delineated impacts from former solvent use, which were largely contained
within the site except for a low-concentration plume that extended a short distance off site to the
north and east of the facility. The conclusion was based on data available from monitoring wells
installed for the investigation, which were later determined by the FDEP Site Investigation Section
to underrepresent the extent of groundwater impacts.
In 2002, FDEP asked the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) to assess potential impacts to off-
site private wells. FDOH visited residential areas surrounding the site and tentatively identii ed several
private wells north of the site and outside of the VOC plume as delineated by groundwater samples
taken from existing monitoring wells (FDEP, 2004). The responsible party conducted a survey of
water supply wells in the adjacent community and identii ed several domestic drinking water wells
beyond the delineated plume. Because data collected by their consultants suggested that the plume was
stable or shrinking, and no domestic wells were identii ed within or immediately adjacent to the plume,
the domestic wells outside of the delineated plume were not sampled (FDEP, 2004).
In the fall of 2003, Tallevast residents living near the site learned of the off-site activities after
observing a consultant conducting i eld work in the area. Although the responsible party notii ed the
regulatory agencies in 2000, those agencies apparently did not notify the community about the site
investigation activities over that three-year period (there is no regulatory requirement for a responsible
party conducting voluntary investigation and remediation activities to notify the local community). In
the fall of 2003, the responsible party provided information to the community about voluntary site
assessment and remediation activities that were being performed. At that time, local residents voiced
concerns about the potential for impacts to private wells. In 2004, community leaders provided the
responsible party with additional information regarding the location of domestic wells, and FDEP,
FDOH, and Manatee County surveyed the area and located and sampled 17 wells (FDEP, 2004).
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