Hazardous Substance Research Centers/South & Southwest

Site description

Environmental contamination was found at both the current location of the American Beryllium Company facility (1600 Tallevast Road) and its former location immediately adjacent and to the west of the current property (the former Spindrift site). In 1993, petroleum-impacted soil and groundwater were discovered at the Spindrift site, and during cleanup trichloroethene (TCE, a volatile organic compound) was also found in the groundwater. In 2000, contamination in the form of solvent-related chemicals was found in the groundwater beneath the current site of the American Beryllium Company. The current owner of the site, Lockheed Martin, has voluntarily begun cleanup, but the community is concerned about possible exposures through groundwater and soil contamination.

Summary of assistance (through September, 2005)

TOSC has been engaged to review technical documents for the Tallevast Community in Manatee County, Florida, site of the former American Beryllium Company. The American Beryllium Company facility housed manufacturing operations of ultra-precision machine parts where metals were milled, lathed, and drilled into different components. Over the course of the operating period, portions of the property became contaminated as a result of improper waste disposal from electroplating, anodizing and cleaning operations on site. Environmental contaminants on the site include oils, petroleum based fuels, solvents, acids, and metals.

The TOSC Program reviewed and commented on the Preliminary Contamination Assessment Report and the Consent Order issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (OGC File No.: 04-1328). Additional testing of groundwater was conducted at the site during the first quarter of 2005, and results have shown the size of the trichloroethene (TCE)-contaminated groundwater plume has impacted over 130 acres, well beyond the previously defined boundaries of 5 acres and 50 acres. Testing during the third quarter of 2005 has raised concerns within the community that the plume is still not completely defined and that there may be more than one source of the contamination. The community is calling for additional sampling to take place. Residents of the area are now calling for the State of Florida to relocate residents from the area. A Tampa toxicologist has been selected by the residents, financed by Lockheed Martin, to conduct a health risk assessment for the neighborhood. As more data is analyzed and the exact scope of the contamination is determined, TOSC will continue to work with the Tallevast residents to understand the results and implications of this new data. TOSC continues to stay current of the situation in Tallevast through regular contact with the FOCUS community group.