More Soil Testing To Be Done At Coconut Grove Park
MIAMI (CBSMiami/The Miami Herald) – Additional testing will be done to determine whether a toxic heavy metal found in groundwater near a Coconut Grove park poses a danger.
Consultants hired by the city of Miami to test Blanche Park reported antimony, a chemical used in batteries, ceramics and paint was found in two monitoring wells above target levels for groundwater cleanup according to CBS4 news partner, The Miami Herald.
However, testing could not accurately determine the exact concentration of the chemical, said Miami-Dade County's environmental chief, Wilbur Mayorga told the paper.
More tests will be conducted to determine the concentration of antimony.
The chemical has been known to cause lung and heart disease.
"The report says clearly that the antimony was detected, but we don't know exactly, with accuracy, at what concentration," he explained to the paper. "It cannot be ignored. But it needs to be re-sampled to confirm."
The retest will take place within 45 days.
The contamination at the park was discovered in August because of tainted soil found at an old incinerator site about a mile away.
Blanche Park was purchased by the city in 1943 to dump ash and was converted to a park in 1962, but the soil was never cleaned.
It currently has artificial turf on the surface which is believed to have shielded people from any possible contaminants because the heavy metals usually have to be ingested to be toxic.
The city now has 30 days to come up with a plan for addressing the contamination and 45 days to complete additional testing.
The city is also continuing to draft a testing plan for Merrie Christmas Park, where toxic metals have also been found.
The much larger park, which covers more than five acres and is not covered with artificial turf, has been closed and fenced off since late September while the city comes up with a plan for testing.
(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report.)
