Five Durham parks will stay fully or partly closed through a second summer as state officials still have not finished the cleanup plan for lead-contaminated soil.
Walltown, East Durham, East End, Northgate, and Lyon parks have been under partial closures since June 2023. Their playgrounds were entirely closed in April 2024, and Durham officials still can't say when the parks will reopen, with a final DEQ report expected in the coming weeks.
The closures stretch across historically Black neighborhoods where parks were built on former incinerator sites or trash dumps. Northgate did not have an incinerator, but ash was used as infill there.
- Duke researchers published findings in December 2022 showing "alarmingly high" lead levels at four parks and said a fifth park was likely affected.
- Orange fencing and warning signs now surround closed sections of all five parks, including playgrounds that families have not been able to use for more than a year.
- The contamination is also delaying planned improvements at East End Park, which was included in Durham's $85M parks bond approved by voters in 2024.
Parents told local reporters last year that the closures had dragged on too long as children lost access to some of Durham's most-used park spaces during summer break.
What's next: The state's report is expected to identify which sections of each park need remediation. Cleanup is still likely months or years away, and WRAL reported the cost could run into the millions.