Why is the play area closed at Stodden Park?

Parents of young children hoping to enjoy the last few days of summer in the play area of Stodden Park are in for a rude awakening as the area is fenced off with danger signs on the outside and heavy equipment inside the fence line.

Why have the toy dump trucks on the recently renovated play area been suddenly replaced with real ones?

According to the posted signage the closure is for clean up under the Residential Metals Abatement Program "will clean-up eight Butte-area parks. The clean-up work is the result of sampling performed in 2022.  Playgrounds and play areas have been sampled to determine if lead, arsenic, or mercury exceeding local action levels are present.  All areas where kids play, such as around jungle gyms, swing sets, play structures, baseball diamonds, and soccer fields, were evaluated using residential action levels."

The Residential Metals Abatement Program is designed to reduce the exposure to sources of lead, arsenic and mercury left over from historic mining activity.  While designed for houses and yards, the Environmental Protection Agency recently expanded the program to include additional sampling of dust and soil at parks, daycares and schools.  Unacceptable levels of contamination were found not only at Stodden Park but also at Cherokee Park, Copper and Emmett Park, Koprivica Park, Clark Park, Rocker Park and Lexington Garden.  Links to clean up plans can be found here.  Here is what they have planned for the Stodden Park play area.

For questions, please contact Eric Hassler, Director of Reclamation and Environmental Services at ehassler@bsb-mt.gov, Jesse Schwarzrock at jschwarzrock@pioneer-technical.com or Mike McAnulty at mcanumc@bp.com