Two Years Later, Durham’s Contaminated Parks Are Still Closed

If you walk through some neighborhoods in Durham right now, you’ll notice something strange about a few of the local parks: they’re quiet… and fenced off.

It’s been that way for a while—actually, about two years.

Back in 2024, testing found elevated levels of lead in the soil at five city parks. Not exactly what you expect from a place where kids are supposed to play. Since then, those parks—like Northgate Park, East Durham Park, East End Park, Lyon Park, and Walltown Park—have been closed while officials try to figure out just how bad the contamination is and what to do about it.

The situation goes way back, though. Decades ago, some of these parks were built on old trash incinerator sites—back when burning waste was common and no one really thought about what might be left behind in the soil.

Fast forward to today, and that history is catching up.

People who live nearby say it’s frustrating. One neighbor described it as “discouraging” to see fences where families used to gather. And for folks like Ashley Scott, who works with kids in east Durham, the closures mean something bigger: fewer safe places for children to go, especially in areas with lots of nearby schools.

Officials have made some progress. Most of the soil testing has been completed, and the state says there are no dangerous vapors above ground. But that doesn’t mean the parks are ready to reopen. There’s still more investigation to do, and each park will need its own cleanup plan—which could include major changes like removing trees or even redesigning parts of the space.

And here’s the tough part: there’s still no clear timeline for when any of these parks will reopen.

In the meantime, the city is looking at temporary solutions—like possibly moving playgrounds to safer areas—while families wait.

For now, those fenced-off parks are a reminder of how decisions made decades ago can still shape a community today… and how long it can take to fix them.