[CPEO-MEF] Former Ft. Des Moines (IA) dump site

[Lenny Siegel <lennysiegel@gmail.com>]

Zoo passed up polluted parkland

History: For decades, chemicals were dumped at the 65-acre site that 
Blank Park Zoo had wanted

Safety: It's safe to play and fish at what is now a popular park, 
environmental experts report

By MELISSA WALKER
DES MOINES REGISTER (IA)
September 8, 2007

A Polk County park eyed for a major expansion of Blank Park Zoo sits 
atop a decades-old military dump site that officials fear has left soil 
and a popular fishing spot contaminated with pesticides, asbestos and 
chemical compounds.

That is one reason zoo officials decided last month to back away from a 
proposed land swap that would have transferred ownership of the 65 park 
acres to the city, paving the way for a $57 million zoo expansion.

"The city told us that right now, with their initial findings, they did 
not want the zoo to move on to that property," said Jim Hourigan, 
president of the Blank Park Zoo Foundation. "They thought the levels 
that were detected were high enough that we should look for a site 
elsewhere. ... I don't think they want the liability associated with 
owning it."


...

For the entire article, see
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070908/NEWS05/709080342/1001/NEWS&lead=1

--


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org


_______________________________________________
Military mailing list
Military@list.cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org/mailman/listinfo/military