19 January 2007

Victoria Park clean up starts on Monday

Work on remediating contaminated areas of Victoria Park including the children's playground starts on Monday, 22 January.

The playground and neighbouring trees were fenced off before Christmas following the discovery of levels of benzo(a)pyrene exceeding human health guidelines in surface soil.

Benzo(a)pyrene is a suspected human carcinogen and is found in coal, diesel and crude oil. It is often associated with gas works waste.

A clean-up plan has been devised which will remove contaminated soil without causing permanent damage to the trees within the drip line area.

Footpaths close to the remediation area along Victoria Street and in the park itself will remain cordoned off during the work which is expected to continue until April.

During the council's programme of soil testing on the park, isolated hot spots have also been discovered beneath five trees in Halsey Street and one in Fanshawe Street. These areas have been fenced and will also be remediated.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service has said it is satisfied with the action taken by the council to isolate the contaminated areas.

Deputy Mayor Councillor Dr Bruce Hucker said that the council acts promptly to deal with potential public health risks and was also anxious to protect the trees which are such a prominent feature of the park.

The remediation work coincides with a programme currently underway to upgrade the park's sports fields and a large area of the field is fenced off for re-sanding.

ENDS

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