According to the Northeaster and the Star Tribune, northeast Minneapolis's Gluek Park, right on the Mississippi, is contaminated with asbestos, apparently from fill brought from the WA Grace Company's toxic site near 18th and Monroe. There are also concerns that the groundwater around there may be contaminated with a pesticide that was spilled at Shoreham Yard in the 1960s (30,000 gallons) and has slowly been seeping towards the river. The well at the park has now been disabled and the water is being tested.
According to the Strib article from last month, the WA Grace contamination is already responsible for the death of 30 northeast Minneapolis residents, with many more deaths likely. In Libby, Montana, the place where this stuff was mined, the toll is in the hundreds�. This summer the federal Environmental Protection Agency will initiate a clean-up at Gluek Park. This is serious stuff, the clean-up in northeast is costing millions of dollars. Would it be too much to ask to at least have some signs put up at the park informing citizens of the potential hazards? Or to fence off the whole park? Right now, there are no warning signs whatsoever. The entrance to the parking lot is blocked off with a barricade but not the walking or bike paths. It just looks like a normal park. Dogs are free to dig (mine used to there), kids to scramble up and down the riverbank, people to picnic there, all without anyone having any idea that they are in an area of serious contamination. Now, I sometimes think Americans go way overboard on safety, handrails in national parks, warning signs everywhere when there is the slightest risk of needing to protect people from themselves. But this seems different. How is someone supposed to know that this park is dangerous? Other than for the few who are involved in this issue, not many people do. I realize that this has been a long-term problem, recently discovered, but even if people have been exposed to this for years, once we know it is a problem, shouldn't something be done to prevent further exposure? Who knows what is the final little incremental amount of exposure that gives some poor kid lung cancer? We know the stuff is extremely dangerous, right? But according to people in the neighborhood organization there, it has been like pulling teeth to try to get the park board to take any preventive actions in advance of the clean-up. I would think having a contamination zone right on the Mississippi River (upstream from downtown, south Minneapolis, etc.) might actually be an issue of citywide concern. How much of this contaminated asbestos laced fill is falling into the river every time it rains? Are the pesticides from Shoreham leaching into the river yet? Just some thoughts for Earth Day. Bruce Shoemaker Holland neighborhood REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
