Letter from Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Dear Community Member:

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) held a community meeting at Azalea Middle School on May 10, 2011. Please let us thank all of those in attendance. We appreciate the time you took to meet with us.

On May 26, 2011, DEP issued Raytheon’s Remedial Action Plan Approval Order. The Approval Order allows Raytheon to initiate a comprehensive cleanup of the contaminants of concern around Raytheon’s St. Petersburg facility. DEP had previously approved an Interim Pump and Treat System which has already recovered, cleaned and disposed of approximately 28 million gallons of contaminated groundwater.

Raytheon’s Remedial Action Plan and subsequent Addenda were carefully reviewed by DEP’s team of professional geologists and engineers, along with experts from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that Raytheon properly addressed the cleanup of all contamination.

While DEP has issued the Approval Order, Raytheon will still be required to submit reports to show the system is constructed and operating as proposed. There will also be continued groundwater monitoring to ensure the progress of the remedial action. While cleanup is ongoing, Temporary Point of Compliance Notice letters will be sent every five years to identify property owners still within the plume.

Please continue to check this website for future updates. Important information will be posted on the reports page and documents will also be available in the OCULUS database.

DEP remains committed to carrying out its regulatory responsibilities including monitoring Raytheon’s cleanup plan to address the contamination and overseeing a successful cleanup of soil and groundwater to state standards. If you have questions regarding DEP's role in Raytheon’s contaminated groundwater assessment and cleanup, please call our neighborhood information line at (813) 632-7600, ext. 467.