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Contact: Sean McGinty, 202-941-9108
WASHINGTON— The National Park Service (NPS) has released the Record of Decision (ROD) for the future environmental cleanup to take place at the Kenilworth Park Landfill Site. The site, located in Northeast Washington, D.C., was previously used as a municipal waste landfill beginning in 1942, and has been used for recreational purposes since the 1970s when the landfill was closed and covered with soil.
The cleanup plan will include the placement of a one-foot-thick, clean soil layer on certain areas within the northern portion of the site, known as Kenilworth Park North (located north of Watts Branch Creek and south of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens). The ROD describes the final cleanup plan the NPS has selected in accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and regulations that govern how CERCLA is implemented (the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan; or NCP).
The NPS evaluated risks to human health within the site and determined that the placement of a clean soil layer will eliminate unacceptable excess health risks for visitors who engage in high-frequency (more than 3 days per week, 10 months per year) and high-intensity activities such as playing contact sports on athletic fields for more than 2 hours per day and for an extended time period of time (26 years). The NPS will conduct a review and inspection of the site at least every five years after completion of the cleanup to ensure that the clean soil layer remains in place and continues to provide protection to human health.
The NPS selected the final cleanup plan after considering community feedback received during the public comment period for the proposed cleanup plan that NPS released on Nov. 12, 2020. NPS responses to the public comments received are included in the ROD.
In 2004, Congress directed the NPS to transfer administrative jurisdiction of Kenilworth Park North to the District of Columbia. The District will prepare the future redevelopment plans for this portion of the site. The NPS will continue to manage Kenilworth Park South as a natural recreation area where visitors can participate in activities such as bird watching or using established trails. Kenilworth Park South will not be developed for high-intensity recreational uses, therefore the placement of a clean soil layer in this portion of the site is not required.
The CERCLA response activities will now move into the remedial design phase, which will include development of design drawings and technical specifications for all activities to be completed as part of the cleanup. The NPS will continue to work collaboratively with the District to complete future phases of CERCLA response activities and will also continue to support the District in its future redevelopment plans for Kenilworth Park North. The NPS will post updates on the progress of the site’s cleanup on the Kenilworth Park Landfill Site webpage.
Last updated: December 20, 2022