Concern grows after high levels of metals at LIC dog run

There’s growing concern in Long Island City after high levels of metals like lead were found in the soil of a dog run.

Some neighbors now fear the nearby playground could also contain the metals.

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What You Need To Know

• The dog run at Murray Park in Queens is now closed after the Parks Department conducted testing required for a renovation project and found heavy metals like lead, arsenic, copper and cadmium in the surface soil
• The Parks Department also fenced off parts of the children’s playground and park, where soil is exposed, after Long Island City parents expressed concerns about the safety of their children
• The department said it will have the rest of Murray Park tested in early March
• Despite assurances, some park-goers are still concerned the area remains mostly open for now – just the exposed soil areas are fenced off

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The dog run at Murray Park in Long Island City is closed for the protection of the pups and their owners.

“I don’t want you near the soil,” said James Edstrom, an LIC resident, to his dog, Stitch.

The Parks Department conducted testing required for a renovation project and found heavy metals like lead, arsenic, copper and cadmium in the surface soil, which “exceed residential soil standards.”

Edstrom said he’s shocked about what was found, and worries about the safety of the park as a whole. It stretches from 11th Street to 21st Street at 45th Avenue and includes a children’s playground.

“To find these chemicals in the soil, we wanna know where they came from, because they could be [in] other parks too, the safety of our children, of our pets, all this is really hard to believe that in a park where the kids play, the dogs play, everybody sits and relaxes,” Edstrom said.

The Parks Department also fenced off parts of the children’s playground and park – where soil is exposed. Democrat Councilmember Julie Won, who represents LIC, said Parks notified her office this month about the contamination.

“Even though they put the fence up because all of the parents in Long Island City pressed them for it, it’s still not enough, we want to have clear testing done on all of the soil exposed in this park, to make sure that the rest of the park is safe for us to be here, especially for our children and for our pets,” Won said.

The Parks Department said it will have the rest of Murray Park tested in early March.

In a statement, the department said, “Out of an abundance of caution, we have also fenced off open grass areas at the park while we conduct further testing. The covered areas of the park, such as the turf field and paved pathways, present no risk of exposure.”

Despite assurances, some park-goers are still concerned the area remains mostly open for now, just those exposed soil areas are fenced off.

“We can’t use this park anymore, it can’t be trusted,” Edstrom said.

Others are less worried. When the sun shines, the green space still fills up.

No word yet on when the dog run will reopen and remediation for the cleanup.