A public park in Washington, D.C. has become a dumping ground for White House demolition waste, and tests suggest the soil there now contains lead, chromium, PCBs, pesticides, and petroleum byproducts.

When the Trump administration began a reported $400 million renovation of the White House East Wing, workers hauled roughly 30,000 cubic yards of demolition debris to East Potomac Park, a 105-year-old public golf course managed by the National Park Service and used by families and everyday residents. Piles of that debris remain visible on the grounds today, with golfers walking right past them.

The administration says the material met safety standards. But independent environmental experts say the test results tell a different story. Lead, chromium, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, and petroleum byproducts are not what anyone expects to find at a park that has served the public for over a century. These are serious contaminants, and the people who use this park every day deserve honest answers about what they may have been exposed to.

East Potomac Park belongs to everyone. It is not a construction landfill. No administration should be able to use a beloved public green space to dispose of demolition waste from a presidential renovation project, especially when the safety of that waste is in serious dispute.

We are calling on the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, and Congress to take immediate action. That means commissioning a full independent environmental assessment of East Potomac Park, remediating any contamination that is found, holding accountable those responsible for authorizing this dumping, and putting in place clear protections to make sure this never happens to public land again.

Our parks are not dumping grounds. Sign if you believe the public deserves better.