This story originally published online at NC Newsline.
The City of Durham is fencing off 35 additional lead-contaminated areas of Walltown, East End, East Durham, Northgate, and Lyon Parks today, based on new guidance from the EPA.
Portions of these parks are contaminated with lead, the legacy of municipal incinerators that operated—or whose waste was disposed of—there until the early 1950s, Newsline previously reported. Four of the five affected parks are in historically Black neighborhoods.
The previous EPA threshold for lead in residential play areas, such as parks, was 400 parts per million; it is now 200 ppm. A DEQ spokesperson told Newsline that the new EPA screening levels will apply to contaminated areas of Durham parks. Based on that new guidance, Durham officials will “prohibit access” to areas that previously screened between 200 ppm and 400 ppm, according to the city’s webpage devoted to the issue. “Additionally, we are exploring options to install improved fencing and improved signage in these areas.”
Neighbors of Walltown Park recently photographed crumpled orange snow fencing lying on the ground near the basketball courts, one of the contaminated areas.
Lead is a neurotoxin. Chronic exposure can cause permanent neurological and brain damage in children, who are especially vulnerable because they spend time outdoors and often put their hands in their mouths. Adults with high blood levels of lead can suffer from brain, kidney, heart and reproductive disorders.
This list shows the number of locations that are off-limits. In each map the orange squares show the newly cordoned off areas.
Walltown Park, 1700 Guess Road: 15 places. The first map below shows the far southern edge, near the Walltown Recreation Center and the creek. The second map represents new areas in the northern part of the park.
Lyon Park, 1200 W. Lakewood Ave: 6 places in the north and northwestern areas
East End Park, 1200 N. Alston Ave: 4 places in the northwestern and central areas, including near the basketball courts
East Durham Park, 2500 E. Main St.: 3 places in the southwestern part, including near the road
Northgate Park, 300 W. Club Blvd.: 7 places in the east-central areas
DEQ assesses risk scores to parks
NC DEQ has ranked each park based on a risk assessment that accounts for schools, churches, residences drinking water wells within 1,000 feet of the contamination or on the site itself.
The risk assessment occurred after DEQ accepted the parks into its Pre-Regulatory Landfill Program, which governs dumps built before 1983, when they were then required to be lined to protect groundwater. There are 700 sites in the program.
The highest risk score in the program is 526 and the lowest is 0, according to the city. The top 50 sites in the program score at least 218; the top 100 sites score 156 and higher.
These are the risk scores per park:
Lyon Park: 274
East End: 173
Walltown: 173
East Durham: 83
Northgate: 83
The scores don’t necessarily reflect the amount of lead or hazardous materials in the park, city officials said. However, these scores do help DEQ set priorities for cleanup based on proximity to people, drinking water, and surface water, like rivers, creeks and streams. Ellerbe Creek runs through Walltown Park.
NC DEQ surveyed each park’s entire footprint through quarter-acre grids to examine the top 12 inches of soil. The samples are currently being analyzed and a report is being prepared by NC DEQ, with an estimated completion date being April 2024, the city said, at which point the results will be publicly released.
This information will be then used by NC DEQ staff to create a draft report containing options for remediation solutions. The report will be made available for public comment and community collaboration prior to approval and implementation. NC DEQ staff have agreed to participate directly and engagement activities at this point in the process.
Durham Parks and Recreation Department has submitted a request to assist with solutions for these parks as part of the City’s FY24-25 budget process. Additionally, the staff has begun some deliberations with Mid-Atlantic on the topic of funding for remediation, city officials said.
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