FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  October 1, 2003
CONTACT: Merritt Mitchell, (813) 795-0954

DEP To Take Enforcement Against Coronet

--New monitoring results indicate environmental permit violations--

TAMPA -- The Department of Environmental Protection is initiating enforcement against Coronet Industries for environmental violations. Initial results from new water quality monitoring wells at the company's plant in eastern Hillsborough County indicate that the facility is causing exceedances in groundwater quality standards at the property boundary, which is a violation of its industrial wastewater permit.

"Our primary concern is to protect the public and the environment," said Deborah Getzoff, Director of the Department of Environmental Protection's Southwest District. "As we continue this environmental assessment, we, along with the Department of Health, are ensuring that families in the neighborhood have a safe, reliable source of drinking water."

In August and September, Coronet added the eight wells to its existing groundwater monitoring network of 11 wells. To gather more comprehensive data about potential impacts to groundwater, wells were clustered in sets of two, one with a depth of 30 feet and the other with a depth of 100 feet.

Initial results in one of the new test wells on the property, located between holding pond six and Cason Road, indicate elevated levels of radium 226, boron, gross alpha and sodium. Since test results from six private wells in the vicinity of the intersection of Gentry and Cason Roads revealed elevated levels of boron, substances on Coronet's property may be moving beyond the facility's boundary.

"The Department is taking enforcement for groundwater violations at the property boundary," said Getzoff. "The company needs to take swift and decisive action to ensure substances in its wastewater pond are not affecting nearby groundwater."

To date, the agencies have sampled 93 private residential wells around the facility for more than 80 substances. More than ¾ of the wells meet Federal drinking water standards. Ten wells indicated elevated levels of boron; nine wells indicated elevated levels of arsenic; one well had elevated levels of cadmium; one well had elevated levels of lead and five wells had elevated levels of Gross Alpha. The Department is already providing bottled drinking water to affected residents located directly south and east of the wastewater pond.

In addition to the assessment at Coronet, the Department of Environmental Protection is working with the Department of Health and the Hillsborough Environmental Protection Commission to assess other potential sources of groundwater contamination in the surrounding region.