Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Another piece of land that has found to be contaminated in Taylorville is not connected to a different contaminated site.

That’s according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). What they called a “new health consultation” on soil contamination in Manners Park in Taylorville has determined that the land is contaminated with lead.

It also says the contamination isn’t believed connected to the Ameren CIPS Superfund site east of the park, which was also contaminated.

The report shows concentrated area of high metal levels were in the area of a dining hall at the park, and that exposure to lead could have happened as late as 2023, potentially affecting summer league baseball players.

Among other findings, according to a news release from IDPH:

  • PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) in park soil were found to be near or below levels that would typically be expected in a community like Taylorville. This indicates the soil at the park was unlikely to have been impacted by a source of high PAHs, like coal tar.
  • Exposure to metals and PAHs in the soil throughout the rest of Manners Park does not pose a health risk to people using the park for recreational purposes.
  • All park baseball fields other than Field 1 can resume normal use.

“IDPH recommends that people visiting the park avoid accessing fenced-off areas, as this is where elevated levels of lead have been found,” said the news release. “People can visit the park without taking any other precautions. IDPH encourages the Taylorville Park District to ensure that fence and gate locks placed at Field 1 and snow fencing near the park’s Dining Hall are properly maintained and in good working order. Additionally, IDPH recommends that the Taylorville Park District conduct additional testing of soil at and near Field 1 for further analysis of the potential lead levels in the soil there. IDPH will review future available sampling data and prepare an additional report if necessary.”

IDOH says a 30-day comment window on the report is open, and av public meeting will be held September 22nd at the University of Illinois Extension office in Taylorville.