Soil taken from the White House as part of construction for President Trump’s ballroom project which was dumped at nearby East Potomac Park tested positive for toxic chemicals, according to a new report.
The soil, which was dumped near one of the three golf courses at East Potomac, tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals, The New York Times reported, citing data from the National Park Service (NPS).
Trump is eyeing a takeover of the D.C. public golf system with the East Potomac site in mind, an effort that has sparked legal challenges from district golfers and national preservation groups.
A spokesperson for the Department of the Interior told the Times “the soil was tested, multiple times by multiple parties, and this project passed all standards set by law,” and insisted the “thorough process was followed” to ensure the transfer of the material from the White House grounds “was safe for the public.”
The D.C. public golf system has for the last several years been operated by the National Links Trust, which leased the land from NPS and said it was surprised to learn of the Trump administration’s attempted takeover of the East Potomac property.
At a hearing on Monday, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes declined to immediately block the Trump administration from beginning work on the property but instructed the NPS notify the preservation group if they plan to cut down more than 10 trees or if plans change.
“I understand mercury and lead, if its there is bad, but its there,” Reyes said during the hearing. “I’m not going to ask them to dig it all up without good reason to.”
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