Durham parks experience continued delays in lead decontamination efforts due to ongoing testing

Lead decontamination efforts in multiple Durham parks are experiencing repeated delays as state and local officials continue testing efforts over a year after Duke researchers made the initial discovery.

Parts of five parks around the city — Lyon Park, East End Park, Walltown Park, East Durham Park and Northgate Park — were first closed in August due to the detection of lead levels greater than the Environmental Protection Agency’s accepted threshold of 400 parts per million (ppm).

Then, in response to new guidelines released by the EPA in January lowering the threshold, the City of Durham and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality installed additional fencing in February around 35 areas in the five parks to allow for continued testing.

The EPA rule change lowered screening levels for lead in soil in residential areas “where children live and play” from 400 parts per million (ppm) to 200 ppm. At residential properties with multiple sources of lead exposure, the standard was lowered from 400 ppm to 100 ppm.

In a Feb. 1 statement, the City of Durham estimated that a completed report with details on the results of tests conducted by the NCDEQ would be available in April. However, an April 26 update posted on the Durham Parks and Recreation (DPR) website announced that additional areas in all five parks mentioned in the February statement — including playgrounds — would need to be fenced off, with the most extensive work at the Northgate, Walltown and East Durham Parks.

The April statement explained that the soil around playgrounds with liners and 12 inches of mulch were not originally tested, as the additional layers were presumed to act as a barrier between children and the soil. The areas are now being tested “out of an abundance of caution.”

The five currently closed parks will remain unavailable to community members until testing results have been reviewed and discussed with the community.

“This matter continues to be top priority for DPR and the City, and we remain committed to finding a solution to address this issue in our five parks,” the April statement reads.

Mary Unterreiner, public information and communication manager for DPR, wrote in a June 7 email to The Chronicle that the city will notify community members “when this work is set to begin and when they can expect testing results.” She added that the city will work publicly to develop a plan for the safe reopening of playgrounds.

“We remain committed to working with the community to find a solution to this issue,” Unterreiner wrote.

Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff visited Durham Tuesday to announce a $1.3 million grant awarded from the EPA to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to fund the testing of drinking water for lead at schools and daycare centers in the state.

"Every child deserves clean and lead-free drinking water," said Rep. Valerie Foushee, who represents Durham’s district and joined Emhoff at the event. "This grant will allow North Carolina to continue its vital testing program and protect the health of our children."

A Tuesday statement from the EPA about the grant explained that lead exposure “disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income families.” In accordance with President Joseph Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, 40% of overall benefits from certain federal investments are directed toward disadvantaged communities who suffer the highest burdens of pollution.

The five Durham parks currently closed for lead testing are located in historically Black neighborhoods, and four are located in neighborhoods that are considered “disadvantaged” according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool.

Community concerns

Community members are also seeking greater transparency from local officials after a lack of communication about the initial discovery of high lead levels sparked distrust between Durham residents and the government.

In December 2022, Duke researchers in the Nicholas School of the Environment internally published a report detailing the high lead concentrations in soil samples from Walltown Park, East End Park and East Durham Parks. All three were found to contain unsafe levels of lead contamination.

The report later sparked concerns among community members who did not become aware of the dangerous lead levels until six months after the publication’s release, when a resident discovered the thesis on their own in June.

The Walltown Community Association held a Durham-wide meeting in June 2023 to discuss the report’s findings. Many attendees expressed anger that neither the city nor Duke notified them of the contamination after it was uncovered.

“There’s a sense of betrayal,” one resident said in August. “… It's bizarre and disappointing that we have to assume this kind of burden to protect ourselves.”

It was later revealed by N.C. Newsline that Dan Richter, professor of soils and forest ecology in the Nicholas School and the faculty member who oversaw the study, notified top Durham Parks and Recreation officials as early as November 2022.

Now, some residents have expressed fears that digging up soil for testing would further release more into the environment. One resident commented that doing so “seems more dangerous than leaving it alone.”

“This is really about our health,” said another resident with the Walltown Community Association. “The parks are places that are public. I think it’s critical for residents to take ownership of that and advocate for what we need, particularly given the lack of urgency that [was] present over the last year.”

Editor’s note: This article was updated Tuesday evening with information about new federal funding for lead testing.

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