Sludge Watch ==> Toxins Close Barber Park

[Maureen Reilly]

"Lead, mercury, chromium, cadmium and barium were all found in the soil 
during construction at the park off Florida Street. City officials said the 
contaminants are probably from the wastewater treatment plant once located 
at the site."



http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770615029

Saturday, June 16, 2007
Toxins close Barber Park


By Joe Killian
Staff Writer

The city closed Barber Park to the public after high concentrations of heavy 
metals were found there, officials said late Friday.


Lead, mercury, chromium, cadmium and barium were all found in the soil 
during construction at the park off Florida Street. City officials said the 
contaminants are probably from the wastewater treatment plant once located 
at the site.


In 1988, the city found some of the same contaminants in the ground during 
the site's $4 million conversion into a regional park. It was unclear Friday 
what kind of cleanup took place at that time.


"I was unaware that there had been anything found there previously," said 
Jeryl Covington, the city's director of environmental services. "But that 
certainly answers some questions."


Covington said her department was aware of monitoring wells — used for 
testing groundwater — at the site. That is often an indication that a site 
has had problems in the past, Covington said, but the city hasn't done 
testing there in more than a decade.


For more than 50 years, the South Buffalo Wastewater Treatment Plant 
operated in the area that is now Barber Park.


The plant opened in the late 1920s and closed in 1984, when a new treatment 
plant opened in McLeansville.


Covington said Friday that Barber Park, all its facilities and trails will 
be closed until more tests can be done and the city can determine a course 
of action.


"We're going to have the gates locked, and the staff watching to make sure 
no one goes in," Assistant City Manager Ben Brown said. "This isn't like a 
regular construction site, so it's not fenced off to keep people from going 
places that might be dangerous to them."


According to the Centers for Disease Control, both lead and chromium can 
cause liver and kidney damage if ingested. Exposure to high levels of 
mercury can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and immune system. 
Children are particularly vulnerable.


"We wouldn't take any chances with children who are still developing being 
exposed to any of this," Covington said. "We thought it was just better to 
shut down the whole park."


Residents of the neighborhoods surrounding the park said they were concerned 
about the chemicals. Some said they have been bringing their children and 
pets there for years.


"Our kids spend a lot of time there in the summer," said Doris Kernels, 36. 
Kernels said she hopes her two boys, 8 and 10 years old, haven't been 
exposed to any of the contaminants.


"I guess I don't understand, if they knew this was a problem in the past, 
why they would still build a park there for children and families," Kernels 
said.


Barber Park also is popular with pet owners who walk its trails.


Virginia Mason, 46, of nearby Blueberry Lane, said she walks her dog Shank, 
a chow-shepherd mix, twice a day in the park.


"I know he'll miss it while it's closed," Mason said. "All you have to do is 
ask him if he wants to go for a walk and he jumps up ready to go."


Mason said she doesn't let her dog dig in the dirt or drink water in the 
park, so she isn't concerned about him getting sick. She said she's more 
concerned that the cleanup happen quickly, so she and her neighbors can 
enjoy the park for the summer.


"It's a real nice park, and I've been coming here as long as I can 
remember," Mason said. "It will be a shame to see it closed."