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Council debates arsenic findings at town park site; pauses topsoil work until irrigation and protections are in place
Summary
Councilors reviewed past soil testing at the proposed Town Park, discussed the cost and necessity of capping arsenic-contaminated soils, and directed staff to remove topsoil placement from Phase 1 of the RFP and include it in a later phase after irrigation/sprinklers are in place.
Councilors discussed historic soils testing at the proposed Fairfield Town Park and whether the town should immediately place four inches of topsoil across the park to mitigate arsenic levels reported in earlier geotechnical studies. After staff and council debate, members directed staff to remove topsoil placement from Phase 1 of the park RFP and defer that work until a later phase after irrigation (sprinkler system and meter) is installed and the ground can be stabilized to limit wind-borne dust.
Planning staff said the original RFP for Phase 1 included roadway repairs, a parking lot, storm drain, water service stub and meter, grading, and placing four inches of topsoil over areas to be planted. Multiple council members and staff noted two soil reports exist (one from EarthTech referenced in the meeting) and described uncertainty about the degree of mitigation required and who is the appropriate regulatory verifier. A Department of Air Quality official informed staff he could review the report and give an opinion, but said the matter was not squarely within his office’s regulatory remit.
Councilors expressed mixed views. Some members said the arsenic levels and risk did not justify immediate large-scale topsoil import and spreading at Phase 1 — both because of cost (participants described spending “a couple hundred thousand dollars” for topsoil) and because newly laid topsoil might be vulnerable to wind prior to irrigation being functional. Others said they did not discount the presence of arsenic and urged careful adherence to recommended mitigation where required.
The council directed staff to: (1) remove topsoil placement from Phase 1 and move it to Phase 2 after irrigation and protective measures are installed; (2) have staff or the project consultant request a technical opinion from the Department of Air Quality or return to EarthTech for interpretation of the soils report; and (3) finalize an RFP that omits the topsoil capping step from Phase 1 and clarifies the inspection/mitigation requirements to be performed in a later phase once irrigation is in place.
