Recent testing of sampling wells in the Tallevast area of Manatee County shows high levels of dioxane and other chemicals of concern, and that parts of the toxic groundwater plume from a former beryllium plant are spreading beyond what systems can currently capture. “Urgent action should be taken to stop and recover the spread of contamination,” a scientist and engineer with RES consulting wrote in a letter to community leaders in Tallevast. The letter is a review of a January report from Lockheed Martin about the status of the massive, contaminated groundwater plume in Tallevast. The company owns the site of a former beryllium plant located on Tallevast Road. Lockheed Martin informed the state in 2000 the plant had contaminated the groundwater. No one told neighbors, many of whom were on well water. "We're angry,” said Roger Byers of Tallevast. “Yes, we're angry, because it was well-known and kept from us.” Byers’ feelings are shared among many in the small, mostly African American town of about 225 people. “Nobody seems to care about Tallevast,” said Ervin Smith, who worked at American Beryllium Company. Born and raised in Tallevast, he drank from well water up until the plume was uncovered, unaware that chemical solvents from the plant, like dioxane, had contaminated the groundwater. These chemicals “damage the nervous system, kidneys and liver as well as the immune system and developing fetuses and are known carcinogens,” Dr. Christian Wells, a researcher at the University of South Florida,” said in a grant application. Through the University of South Florida, Wells was approved for a $500,000 EPA grant to study pollution in Tallevast. As part of the grant, monitoring wells are being installed on select Tallevast properties to test shallow groundwater for contaminants. Geologists are also testing the soil. However, Wells says changes to current EPA policies could mean fewer resources moving forward. This testing is separate from what the state requires of Lockheed Martin, which says it has already cleaned up dozens of acres of contamination. However, residents and independent consultants say there needs to be more urgency, especially with the edges of the plume appearing to spread outside of areas where systems are in place to capture and clean the contamination. “We remain concerned that the horizontal delineation relies on monitoring wells located 600 feet (east) and 1,000 feet (west) away, and therefore, cannot be considered sufficient for knowing where the contamination is or forecasting its migration path,” RES consulting said in its letter. Lockheed Martin has not yet responded to 10 Investigates’ request for an interview.