No surprise in pollution tests

County officials hope to soon began cleanup of the contaminated public works site.

By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer
Published September 1, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - The latest round of water and soil tests at Hernando County's former public works compound show no surprises, say county officials, who hope to soon start the "corrective action" phase of the cleanup.

In the report delivered this week to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, county staff is proposing one more batch of assessment tests to confirm previous results and to further determine levels of chemicals both on the site and in the surrounding properties.

With that next batch of tests, county engineer Gregg Sutton said he is optimistic that the assessment phase of the cleanup project will be complete.

"That would be a significant milestone," he said Friday.

Over the past two years, the county has spent nearly $2-million digging wells, gathering soil and water and analyzing samples to determine how widespread the deposits of arsenic, lead, other metals and petroleum and solvent byproducts that pollute the site are.

The report filed with the Tampa DEP office this week includes no surprises, just more documentation of the extensive contamination on the property, said Sutton, who oversees the project for the county.

The report recommends additional surface soil testing for barium in the area around the septic tank drain field, more testing for metals and petroleum and solvent byproducts in the surface soils of surrounding properties and additional on-site ground water testing to confirm previous results.

Sutton said the county hopes the DEP will agree that the assessment process is done once these new tests are complete. That will allow the county to move into the "corrective action" phase of the project.

Using the details of where the contamination exists and what substances are present, the county will devise a plan to clean up the site.

That plan, which will ultimately need approval by DEP, could include several elements, Sutton said.

Some of the contaminated dirt could be removed. But much of the contamination is deep in the soils of the property. Other options could include controls that would eliminate possible exposure to the contaminants without removing them.

Those options could include having the county use deed restrictions or zoning to limit the use of the site, possibly allowing only industrial uses in the future. Another option could be to add clean fill dirt, sod or additional pavement to the property.

Sutton said the county is also discussing another related project with DEP. Several years ago, the county missed a deadline on the public works site cleanup project and DEP levied a fine of approximately $28,000. But the agency is allowing Hernando County to do an in-kind project instead of paying the fine.

The county is working with the agency to accomplish $60,000 worth of drainage improvements in the neighborhood adjacent to the public works site, Mitchell Heights.

That work would include county acquisition of two lots in the area for use as a new drainage retention area if it is approved by DEP and the County Commission, Sutton said.

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at behrendt@sptimes.com or 352 848-1434.

[Last modified August 31, 2007, 20:49:11]