Lockheed Martin Corp. plans to reduce Tallevast's groundwater contamination by 80 percent over the next five years, according to the company's latest remedial action plan.
After a year's worth of study and design with scientists and members of the public, Lockheed last weekend submitted to state officials its plan to clean up the plume. The company's proposal would expand the current system of pumping and treating contaminated groundwater, reducing contamination by an estimated 80 percent within five years.
According to a press release from Lockheed, the plan "incorporates extensive new information that significantly reduces the cleanup time outlined in an earlier plan . . . and addresses Florida Department of Environmental Protection comments to the earlier plan and incorporates input from independent technical experts representing the community."
Lockheed will wait for state approval before implementing the plan. DEP spokeswoman Pam Vazquez said the state received Lockheed's proposal over the weekend, but hasn't yet formed an opinion. The state will respond after a thorough review by its waste cleanup and waste management teams.
"We're going to expedite the review as quickly as we can," Vazquez said. "A deadline is not set by state rules, so we can take however long it takes."
The press release states the plan calls for "an innovative in-situ (or "in place") technology" that would inject water treatments around the contaminated area. Lockheed's plan also includes steps to ensure the treatment system is constructed and operated safely.
The plan also calls for using the technology to treat areas beneath two buildings that are scheduled to be demolished, instead of doing soil excavation there.
Last September, Lockheed asked DEP for another year to turn in a revised cleanup plan for the Tallevast plume. The company's scientists said they could not address all 130 concerns the state identified in the original plan by the agency's Oct. 1 deadline.
Last year when a proposal was forthcoming, DEP said it would seek input from FOCUS, an advocacy group for Tallevast residents, as well as the community's technical consultants. FOCUS officials were not ready to comment on the plan, having only received it Tuesday afternoon.
As former owner of the plant when the toxic spill was discovered, Lockheed is responsible for cleaning up the plume, now known to cover more than 200 acres.
The plant is now owned by a BECSD, a limited holding company in New Jersey, and is leased by Lockheed.
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