Project FAQs

The City of Eugene is applying for an EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant that, if awarded, will be used to pay for the park’s cleanup and restoration.

The project team looked at four options: taking no action; capping the contaminated soil; a combination of excavation and soil blending; and full excavation of contaminated soil. All four options were evaluated on criteria including their effectiveness, long-term reliability, and cost. The recommended approach is full excavation, which involves removing the top foot of soil from the areas with high levels of dioxins and replacing it with clean soil.

The draft cleanup plan is part of the City of Eugene’s grant application to the EPA for funding. The City is accepting comments on the application and plan until November 1 . You can review the application and draft cleanup plan on the City of Eugene website and submit your comments via the online comment form . The City will review all comments received and make updates as necessary to the draft cleanup plan before submitting it to the EPA.

After November 1, there will be additional opportunities to learn about and provide input on the park cleanup plan. Sign up for email updates to hear about the project and future opportunities for input.

The basketball courts, playgrounds, baseball field, and skate park currently remain open. Portions of the park will need to remain closed until cleanup activities are complete. The City of Eugene will continue to work with the DEQ and the community to finalize the cleanup plan, at which point the City will have a better understanding of the timeline involved.

DEQ performed the initial soil testing that identified the dioxins in some areas of Trainsong Park. DEQ used US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding to perform that testing, and that funding ran out in June 2023. At that time the project became the responsibility of the City of Eugene. The City has voluntarily entered the site into a DEQ program for their continued oversight of the planning and implementation of cleanup efforts.

Dioxins are a group of chemicals that are formed during industrial processes such as the bleaching process in pulp and paper making. They are also present in some wood treating formulations and can be generated during the burning of organic materials, including by wildfires. Studies have shown that exposure to dioxins increases the risk of several types of cancer in people.

Trainsong Park soils have been found to contain dioxins at concentrations above DEQ recommended levels. DEQ’s recommended levels are conservative, meaning they assume that every visit to the park involves direct soil-to-skin contact and accidental ingestion (eating) or inhalation (breathing) of soil. Areas with the highest concentrations of dioxins have been fenced off.

Many people visiting the park do not come into contact with park soil. Pavement, grass, vegetation, and imported sand and bark chips are all considered to be free from this contamination and act as a barrier to direct soil exposure.

You can limit your exposure by avoiding contact with bare soil and washing your hands prior to eating, drinking, or touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.