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More Wells Near Raytheon Plant Tainted, State Says

Graphic from Arcadis

A map of affected homes shows one of the wells near the Raytheon plant tested postiive for three chemicals.

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By GALINA TISHCHENKO

News Channel 8

Published: August 8, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is reporting six more homes near the Raytheon Defense plant have polluted wells.

That brings the total to 19 homes with wells showing levels of industrial chemicals that exceed state standards. Dozens more wells drilled in the area since April to test for the spread of the chemicals have shown traces of them.

The new test results, from samples taken in July, show a widening circle of groundwater pollution that now extends as far south as 5th avenue,10 blocks from the Raytheon plant, and as far west as 76th Avenue, about four blocks from the plant.

Azalea Elementary school is on the edge of the known contamination plume. The school doesn't use irrigation wells on its property but a different problem may be at its doors: Because of the volatile nature of the chemicals, experts say, indoor air pollution is a possibility.

Raytheon offered to run a round of indoor air tests while students and teachers are still on vacation. Pinellas school officials agreed but decided to double-check by running their own tests.

"We've found out that there are no dangers to our kids but we are going to continue to listen and to inquire," Dr. Julie Janssen, Pinellas County interim school superintendent, said at a meeting July 14th in the Azalea Community Center.

The school hired its own expert from The University of South Florida and ran tests last week, using 14 canisters that detect chemical pollution.

The double-checking cost the Pinellas County School District about $15,000. That's about five times more than the school will spend on books it will acquire this coming year.

The school's environmental consultants will discuss the results of the tests Monday during a school staff meeting.

There are hundreds of private irrigation wells within the area of possible contamination. However, neither the state Department of Environmental Protection nor the plant, Raytheon Network Centric Systems, alerted homeowners to the south before April -- even though they knew for three years that the plume is migrating that way.

Raytheon inherited the pollution problem from E-Systems, the defense plant's former owner. Company officials say newsletters were sent out in 1999 detailing the contamination problem at the company's 72nd Street plant site. They offered no evidence, however, of where the newsletters went or of other attempts at notification.

The pollutants include such industrial chemicals as 1,4-dioxane, TCE and vinyl chloride, all considered hazardous to humans. Under certain circumstances, exposure to some of the chemicals could be fatal.

The company said there is no danger. The DEP said there is no risk to people because no one drinks the groundwater.

Drinking the water, however, is not the only danger, according to groundwater experts. That's one reason air tests are also under way.

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