Durham still does not have a reopening timeline for five city parks that remain fully or partially closed over lead contamination. State regulators are expected to issue a final report in the coming weeks identifying which sections of Walltown, East Durham, East End, Northgate, and Lyon parks will need remediation.
The closures have now stretched close to two years since soil testing found lead contamination at the sites. The fenced-off areas include several playgrounds, and the delay is also holding up planned work at East End Park, which was included in Durham's $85M parks bond passed in 2024.
- Four of the five parks were previously home to trash incinerators before the 1960s: Walltown, East End, East Durham, and Lyon.
- Northgate did not have an incinerator, but ash was used as infill there.
- A Duke researcher found in 2022 that parks tied to former incinerators or ash fill had lead levels above EPA standards.
Durham Parks and Recreation's 2025 master plan says the department is also trying to address broader maintenance and staffing issues over the next 10 years, but the immediate next step for these five parks is the state's cleanup map. Until that report arrives, orange fencing will keep parts of parks in Walltown, East Durham, and North Durham closed off from regular use.