Main Street NC: East Durham's contaminated parks

About this episode

The episode discusses soil contamination in East Durham's parks and the challenges faced by the community.

This is the sixth and final episode in a new season of our Main Street NC series. We're visiting communities across the state to hear from local leaders about the issues and challenges they're facing. Soil contamination from long-ago trash incinerators has prompted Durham to close five of its parks for the past two years, and they’re still not close to a final solution to the issue. Soil testing in 2024 found potential lead contamination in the parks, and the city closed off playgrounds, athletic fields and other amenities to do additional testing and come up with a clean-up plan. Two of the five parks are in East Durham, where it can be difficult to find parks and public spaces that are open for young people. WUNC News visited East Durham and spoke with Durham Parks and Recreation Director Wade Walcutt about what's next.

People in this episode

Guest: Wade Walcutt

Topics covered

• soil contamination
• public parks
• community challenges
• local leadership
• environmental issues

Keywords

• East Durham
• contaminated parks
• soil testing
• lead contamination
• Durham Parks and Recreation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Durham Parks and Recreation

Places: East Durham, Durham

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