SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. – Cancer survivors and beachside residents may be about to get even more concerning news.
Satellite Beach announced Wednesday that well-drilling revealed the same cancer-causing chemicals found at Patrick Air Force Base also seeped into city groundwater.
Now it's the school district awaiting results for drinking water sampled at all beachside campuses, including Satellite High, where 20 young alumni battled rare cancers of which they had no family history.
"It's unfortunate that we found it in the groundwater and we're hopeful that we're not going to find it in the drinking water," school board member Tina Descovich said.
Descovich, a cancer survivor who lives in Indialantic, said Brevard Schools will release its drinking water results Friday.
The district paid $10,000 to test water from school drinking fountains and sinks.
"These chemicals, if they're found in the groundwater and they're found in the soil, can seep through pipes if the pipes are cracked or old or rusted," Descovich said.
Both groundwater and drinking water results will be discussed at Sunday afternoon's concerned citizens meeting.
"I think that meeting will be pretty enlightening for all of us," city manager Courtney Barker said.
The city and the district said any chemical detection in drinking water will be even more concerning than the groundwater results.
Chemicals in groundwater, while present, were lower than what the EPA deems unsafe for drinking.
"Drinking water, that's definitely a much greater pathway to contamination and definitely a greater health risk," Barker said.
Sunday afternoon's meeting is at 2 p.m. at the Civic Center next to City Hall.