Sources of the arsenic scare at Fort Reno Park and the full time line were revealed publicly for the first time last night at my Fort Reno Park community meeting, where representatives from the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Park Service (NPS) discussed the community’s concerns. The park was closed by NPS after the Geological Survey told NPS of suspicions of high levels of arsenic in the park’s soil. After further tests by EPA and local agencies, the park was found to be safe and was re-opened by NPS. But new information was revealed last night, including the source of the false arsenic positive on which officials acted. The erroneous report was traced to new experimental equipment being tested by the Geological Survey.

I am concerned that officials relied on experimental technology and moved quickly to close the park, although the Geological Survey scientist involved, himself, thought the test’s results were probably inaccurate.

I also agreed with Councilwoman Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) who said that the lack of coordination between federal and local officials during the Fort Reno arsenic scare indicated a lack of readiness in the event of a more serious public emergency. She asked, “What if someone dropped plutonium in Rock Creek Park?”

I have asked that NPS take the lead in developing protocols between District agencies and federal agencies, especially considering that several agencies would normally be involved in the event of a threat to public safety.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Politics, Energy/Environment .