General Dynamics Longwood

Overview

General Dynamics Corporation and its affiliates made printed circuit boards and electronic equipment on this 9-acre property in Longwood, Florida from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s. Workers used vapor degreasers with chlorinated solvents to clean products, and those solvents contaminated soil and groundwater. The EPA added the site to the National Priorities List on September 29, 2010. Contaminated groundwater from this site has merged with groundwater from the adjacent Sprague Electric Company site, which sits uphill hydraulically.

Eleven contaminants of concern have been identified, all found in groundwater. They include trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, chloroethene (vinyl chloride), chloroform, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, chloroethane, 1,4-dioxane, and several dichloroethane and dichloroethene compounds. Human exposure is currently under control. Two private drinking water wells in the area had contaminants at harmful levels, and a responsible party placed filters on those wells and continues to maintain them. All other nearby residents and businesses get water from the City of Winter Springs public system, which monitors its wells regularly. Vapor intrusion is not considered a threat to people in the area.

The EPA approved the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study in January 2022. The agency issued a Proposed Plan for public comment from July through August 2022 and held a virtual public meeting on August 16, 2022. The final remedy was selected on September 23, 2022. The selected cleanup methods for Operable Unit 1 include in-situ bioremediation, in-situ chemical oxidation, groundwater monitoring, and institutional controls. A consent decree was finalized on August 15, 2024. Remedial design is currently underway and expected to finish between August and October 2026, with the actual cleanup work estimated to run through October 2027.

Community members can access the Administrative Record and Information Repository at the West Branch Public Library in Longwood or online by visiting the official EPA site profile page. The EPA conducts ongoing community involvement through public notices, interviews, fact sheets, and public meetings. Residents with questions can contact Brenda Bonner, the Community Involvement Coordinator, or Ahmad Hassanein, the Remedial Project Manager.