But what he saw on a tour of various pits and landfills in the Wedgewood neighborhood clearly concerned him.

On July 18, May, State Rep. Mike Hill, R-Pensacola, and others toured the area to see firsthand what Wedgewood residents are concerned about when it comes to the health and safety of the air, water and soil in their neighborhood.

Escambia County public information office staff produced this video of the tour, which was released today.

Among those on the tour were Shawn Hamilton of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, who noted, for example, that it wasn’t until 2010 that some pits were required to have liners to help ensure that whatever was filled into them didn’t ultimately leech into the groundwater table.

Also, Hamilton noted, pits are allowed to have a “discharge zone,” an area where some groundwater contamination is permissible.

Only when that contamination begins to migrate can officials step in, Hamilton says.

“I’m certainly concerned about the future use of these sites,” May says in the video.

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