Hydrogeologist began work at Florida site before LM’s creation
July 23, 2024
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Legacy Management Strategic Partner (LMSP) Pinellas Site Lead Julian Caballero retired July 19 after an eventful 23-year career involving site remediation efforts and relationship building on-site and within the community. His career, marked by such successes as playing a role in the 2019 unconditional closure of the 4.5-acre site, culminated in his receipt of a Career Achievement award, presented to him July 11 by LM Site Manager Melissa Lutz on behalf of LM Director Carmelo Melendez.
Before joining LMSP, Caballero had been working for a local environmental consulting company performing groundwater and soil remediation. Incidentally, this included work as a subcontractor for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM), so he was already familiar with LM’s mission.
Caballero has been a hydrogeologist at the site in Pinellas County, Florida, since before LM was stood up in 2003. Caballero began his 23-year career on the contract performing long-term surveillance at the site.
“I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for what DOE is doing,” Caballero said about the impact of his work in the Pinellas County community. “I think we’ve earned a high level of trust in the community. It’s not just a strong relationship, they trust us. The fact that they trust us and respect us is where the rubber meets the road.”
The Pinellas County site is in Largo, across Tampa Bay from the city of Tampa. General Electric Company constructed the original Pinellas plant in 1956. The facility developed and manufactured components for the nation’s nuclear weapons program. In 2004, the site transferred to LM, whose current activities include groundwater sampling, routine inspection and maintenance, records-related activities, and stakeholder support.
“Early on, my role was both continuing assessment of where contamination impacts were and involvement in groundwater cleanup,” Caballero said.
Through the years, site staff have used a variety of remediation technologies and have made excellent progress with cleanup on-site, Caballero said. “Within the last 10 years, we’ve zeroed in on bioremediation, which involves using a native microbe that already exists in the ground on-site,” Caballero said. “It has become our primary method of remediation because it’s effective and noninvasive.”
In 2018, Caballero’s professional development and the site’s succession planning paved the way for him to be promoted to site lead. This didn’t slow down his work on remediation efforts. He assumed both roles and wore multiple hats while celebrating the successes of the hard work being performed. After more than two decades on the contract, Caballero has had many memorable moments, but two stand out the most.
The pride the Pinellas team members felt when they achieved a full unconditional closure of the 4.5-acre site in 2019 was unmatched. Earning an unconditional closure is an enormous tribute to DOE’s commitment to long-term stewardship at the Pinellas site. The closure order, issued by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, specified that DOE no longer has any responsibilities at that site and that the landowner has full and unrestricted use of the property.
This year, Caballero enjoyed presenting with Lutz at the 2024 Waste Management Symposia conference. Lutz and Caballero had the opportunity to share a topic that’s vitally important to them: “Positive Impacts from Decades of Consistent Communication at the Former DOE Pinellas Plant.” This publication was very well received and awarded Superior Paper.
At a ceremony July 11, Lutz presented a Career Achievement award to Caballero on behalf of LM Director Carmelo Melendez. Lutz said, “Julian’s natural ability to build and retain relationships was truly an asset to the Pinellas team. He never missed an opportunity to educate individuals on the site’s history, land use controls, or current activities. He has been a true advocate for the site.”
Caballero enjoyed the work, but the relationships he’s built over the years carry the biggest weight. From colleagues and subcontractors and the local community, they’ve all had an impact on his life, and the relational aspect of his role is what he’ll miss most.
“It’s been very rewarding,” Caballero said. “I’ve made some excellent friendships and work relationships. We’ve got a very strong relationship with Pinellas County, the landlords, and the community. It’s all in the course of groundwater cleanup, and we’re making excellent and evidenced progress with these efforts.”
Caballero approached retirement with as much gusto as he did his career. In fact, he’ll take advantage of this time to rediscover some pastimes he enjoyed when he was younger, including fishing and riding dirt bikes. He also plans to play golf, restore sports cars, attend sporting events, and travel with his wife, who also recently retired.
