Durham parks remain closed due to lead, with no end in sight and a huge price tag looming

DURHAM, NC -- For the second summer in a row, kids in Durham will not be able to enjoy some of the City's most popular parks. Five parks remain largely closed due to lead in the soil, and any fix is still months or years, and likely millions of dollars, away.

Frustration is mounting for some parents.

"I know that things move slowly," parent Monica Rivera told WRAL. "And especially with situations like this you want to be careful. But it has been taking a very long time."

"Kids are out during the summer and it’s their go-to, to have fun," Shaneva Martinez said. 

It has been years since the issues at the Durham parks were first identified. In December 2022, Duke University researchers published findings of "alarmingly  high" levels of lead in the soil at four parks, and said it was suspected a fifth park would be impacted, too. 

The parks -- Northgate, Lyon, East End, East Durham and Walltown -- are primarily in historically Black neighborhoods, and had been built on sites that used to be incinerator sites or trash dumps. 

Durham Parks and Recreation started closing parts of five parks in June 2023, gradually fencing off more and more. All of those parks' playgrounds were entirely closed more than a year ago, in April 2024. Now, fencing and warning signs surround the five parks. 

"I am one of those families that they're driving by and just sighing to themselves and saying 'Ugh look at that orange fencing,'" Durham's Parks and Rec Director Wade Walcutt told WRAL Investigates. 

WRAL previously reported that the City's Parks Department did not notify the public about Duke's findings. Instead, a community member found the research paper online. 

"Would you do anything differently looking back now?" WRAL Investigates' Sarah Krueger asked Walcutt.

"If I could travel back in time, I’d travel back in time 80 plus years ago and, you know, the science and the information that was available to people back then thought it was OK."

The state's Department of Environmental Quality is leading the charge, doing thorough soil testing in the five parks, and publishing the data online. The DEQ declined multiple requests for on-camera interviews.

DPR oversees more than 60 parks of varying sizes, so while there are still many parks open, parents lament the reduced number of options.

"In this era, where so much of what kids are doing is online, our ability to be outside and play and play safely is essential," parent Monica Rivera said. "It should be a very high priority."

"I just hope they can hear our voices. Our kids. voices," parent Norma Portillo said. "I hope they can do something for them. Because they are the future."

When will these Durham parks reopen?

Walcutt told WRAL Investigates that DEQ's testing phase will likely continue through the end of the year.

"Once we collect all the data from DEQ, our goal is to put together a menu of options," Walcutt said. "The community can weigh in on which they prefer."

How much will the fixes cost?

Estimates from DEQ show one of the cheaper remedies, of putting a cap on the soil at the five parks, could cost nearly $10.5 million. 

Where would the money come from?

Durham Parks & Rec already received $5 million from City Council last year. Walcutt is currently asking for $7 million more. 

"Just so we can start to build up that fund so when we have the data and we are informed and residents are informed and we can make decisions, we’ll have some money to make those quick decisions right away," Walcutt said. 

Coverage continues Friday

Friday night at 6, WRAL Investigates the road ahead to fix the Durham parks, by looking at a similar situation in Greensboro. The story will examine why what's happening there calls into question the cost estimates the state's giving for Durham.