Soon, the federal government will dig deeper into what many people who live just south of the horrors of Patrick Space Force bases are making them sick.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be testing pits next month, based on analysis of what the agency finds from ground-through radar surveys within more than 50 acres of South Patrick Shores where the military dumped World War II. It says it will begin excavation. -era waste.
what’s happening?
The Corps expects to begin the next phase of fieldwork in April with the cleanup of the Naval Aviation Administration’s off-base waste area on the Banana River.
Federal agencies are in the process of calling and mailing property owners within the study area. This next phase involves excavating the test pits based on analysis of data from previously conducted ground penetration radar surveys.
What’s the problem?
Residents of the area have long raised concerns about what they consider to be an unusual number of rare diseases among those numbers. And they worry that long-forgotten military waste remains a continuing health risk.
What is the army doing?
More details: Army launches search for military waste at South Patric Shores
The Legion is investigating South Patrick Shores Yard for dangerous debris and chemicals left behind before, during and after World War II. Workers drive on a mini-excavator, grab soil samples by hand and use ground penetration radar to investigate the metal.
If soil or groundwater samples are suspected, workers place small cans inside the house to test for steam that could enter the house from the basement.
The 2019 state report does not identify any serious health risks. But a Jacksonville oncologist who graduated from Satellite High said the state had done inadequate research.
How many homes are affected?
More than 300 homes are located within a 52-acre area south of Patrick Space Force Base, which is intended for cleanup. Some residents fear that shovels will one day be found in the yard, from plane parts to unexploited ordinances and unknown chemical drums. No one has been injured in the explosion yet, but the concerns are real.
For more information, visit www.saj.usace.army.mil/bananariver, email fuds.florida@usace.army.mil, or call (800) 710-5184.
