TALLEVAST - A plume of groundwater pollution near a former weapons manufacturing plant in Manatee County is nearly 30 times larger than initially estimated, according to the defense contractor responsible for cleaning up the property.
The pollution emanated from the American Beryllium Co. plant, which operated for nearly 40 years before closing in 1996. Lockheed Martin bought the property that year.
The plume covers at least 130 acres and contains several toxic chemicals, including the cleaning solvent trichloroethylene, or TCE, which can cause liver and kidney cancer and a host of other ailments if ingested. Previous tests have shown TCE at levels as high as 10,000 times the state standard for drinking water.
When Lockheed first told residents of the pollution, in 2003, the plume was estimated to cover about five acres. A second round of tests last summer indicated the plume covered about 50 acres.
