BRIEF: Toxic soil forces closure of athletic fields at Colonial Drive Park

Sept. 18--Parts of another Miami-Dade County park are closing due to elevated levels of toxins found in the soil.

The County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department has closed the athletic fields at Colonial Drive Park, 10750 SW 156 Terrace, after a test by the Division of Environmental Resources Management found higher than usual amounts of arsenic in the park's soil. In a statement, the county said that closing the areas is a preemptive move and that the closed areas will be indicated with signs and fences.

The county said the closed area of Colonial Drive is expected to reopen in about six months.

The closing of the fields at Colonial Drive comes after the closing of the baseball field at Chapman Field Park, 13601 Deering Bay Dr., in June for having more than 20 times the typical amount of arsenic in some areas of the soil. Currently sections of two other parks are closed: Hammocks Park, which has no public access, and Brothers to the Rescue Park, where certain sections are closed due to solid waste being found on the surface.

The soil tests are part of a review of all 263 county parks. So far, the county has evaluated 215 park sites and deemed them safe for the public.

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