Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Back in the day, E-Systems produced electronic components for the defense and space industry at 1501 72nd St. N. in St. Pete. During the 1960’s, chemicals from the processing were deliberately disposed of in shallow pits. Raytheon now owns that property, and chemicals now showing up in nearby groundwater are products or byproducts of the work done by E-Systems.

The contamination was originally discovered at the plant in the early 1990s, while workers were building the Pinellas Trail recreation path. Residents west-southwest of the Tyrone Square mall area didn’t learn about the contaminated groundwater beneath their homes, parks and playgrounds until March 2008 from news reports. Since then, tests have shown eight homes near the Raytheon plant have contaminated irrigation wells.

Raytheon wants to be known as a good neighbor.  In fact, check the Raytheon Ethics page:

At Raytheon, all of our business relationships with customers, shareholders, employees, suppliers and host communities must rest on a foundation of integrity and trust. Our success is dependent on each individual’s commitment to these enduring values and no success is worth the expense of compromising ethical behavior.

So I’m sure they were up front about possible problems at the plant in St. Pete.  Or maybe not:

Both Raytheon and the state knew about the pollution for years, but did not warn homeowners about a spreading plume of industrial waste under their homes.

But wait!  They DID tell someone - back in 1995!:

Raytheon said in a news release Tuesday that it communicated as early as 1995, the year it bought the property, with two nearby apartment complexes.

I’m sure those apartment managers got right on that. So then what happened? Nothing. Nothing until 2005, when the Department of Environmental Protection decided they should remind some folks of contamination.

The Department of Environmental Protection began sending out notices of contamination in 2005 to two residential complexes: Brandywine Apartments and Stone’s Throw Condominiums. The agency also notified the city, but no homeowners.

Apartment complexes sure have more responsibility than I would have guessed.  And again, I’m sure those apartment managers got right on that. In addition, it turns out that DEP knew something was going on a little earlier than ’05:

A handwritten document from an Aug. 12, 1999, meeting between Department of Environmental Protection and Raytheon officials makes reference to chemicals, including 1,4-Dioxane, moving offsite to the west-southwest. By 2001, the pollution problem had concerned a Florida Department of Environmental Protection staff member enough that he prepared a letter for the agency’s district director, Deborah Getzoff. The 2001 letter instructed Raytheon Network Centric Systems, owner of the plant at 1501 72nd St. N., to reassess the risk to the public and to notify neighbors with irrigation wells. It was never sent.

Wait – the solution is to make Raytheon double-check and tell us what they find? Or put another way, “Hey Fox, are all the hens ok?” But all of that is in the past. Thanks to your local newspapers, the story came out, and all will be fixed, right?

Maybe not.

The state expects to receive a final assessment report from Raytheon on the extent of the groundwater pollution by May 30. A cleanup plan is due 90 days after that.

That’s right - Even with Gov. Crist demanding some action from his DEP staff, the DEP is still counting on Raytheon to police themselves on this matter.

I don’t think groundwater is the only thing contaminated in this mess.

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