Old Landfill Could Turn Into Playground
By
KGNS News
Story Created:
Sep 24, 2012 at 10:35 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Sep 24, 2012
Many people question what happens to landfills after they are filled.
A playground was proposed to be built over top of a once-illegal dumping ground, located behind La Presa community center.
This site was once an illegal landfill back in the early 90's and now a playground was proposed to be built on top of it, which can bring some concerns.
(Tricia Cortez\RIO GRANDE STUDY CENTER): "The potential for toxic chemicals that were in that landfill to make their way out of that landfill, and secondly, the potential for these gases to come out such as methane and carbon dioxide."
(Mario Sepulveda\ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTIGATOR): "Chemicals, pesticides, it just depends what was in there. There are so many dangers that we have no idea what’s in there."
Court documents we obtained show testimony that old tires and household
But turning old landfills into parks isn't unheard of across the United States. For Example, New York is transforming what was once the world’s largest landfill into a 2,200-acre park.
"Thousands of acres of landfills in the US have been converted into recreational areas. It is a trend that is happening in our country."
This item was tabled Monday at commissioners court and is expected to be discussed at the next meeting.
Environmentalist said an environmental assessment of the land would need to be done to make sure this will not cause harm to people or the environment.
