Soil at a public golf course in Washington where the Trump administration dumped debris from the demolition of the White House East Wing has tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals, according to data released by the National Park Service.<\/p>\n
The data<\/a>, which the Park Service published on its website last week, showed relatively low levels of these contaminants in the soil at East Potomac Golf Links.<\/p>\n Yet the dump raised questions about the decision by the Trump administration to bypass environmental laws when it dropped truckloads of mud<\/a>, rebar, plaster and other debris in the middle of the popular public course near the Jefferson Memorial.<\/p>\n The president is planning a sweeping overhaul of the 105-year-old golf course, where generations have played in view of monuments and memorials at bargain rates that currently run $42 for 18 holes on weekdays. Mr. Trump wants to transform it into a championship course, which would likely spell the end to an existing mini-golf course as well as a surrounding roadway that is popular with cyclists and runners.<\/p>\n The soil test results have provided ammunition for the preservationist group that is suing over the dumping of debris and that is also fighting the broader takeover of the golf course. In its lawsuit, the nonprofit DC Preservation League argued that the dumping was unlawful and possibly hazardous to golfers, community members and wildlife.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew that the demolition of the East Wing and the changes to East Potomac were legally toxic; now we know they\u2019re environmentally toxic as well,\u201d said Norm Eisen, the executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund. It is representing the DC Preservation League and two area residents in the case, as are Democracy Forward and Lowell & Associates.<\/p>\n Katie Martin, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, which includes the National Park Service, said in an email that the soil was safe.<\/p>\n \u201cThe soil was tested, multiple times by multiple parties, and this project passed all standards set by law,\u201d Ms. Martin said. \u201cWhile we do not comment on litigation, this thorough process was followed to ensure the transfer was safe for the public. All of the findings are available online.\u201d<\/p>\n The new data was included in an interim report by Jacobs Engineering Group, a consultant to the Park Service. The firm collected dozens of samples of soil at East Potomac and sent them to an independent laboratory, where they were tested for a variety of contaminants.<\/p>\n The initial results applied to 30 samples collected between Oct. 28, 2025, and April 2, according to the interim report. None of these samples exceeded what the Environmental Protection Agency considers a safe level of lead, a powerful neurotoxin, at industrial and commercial sites.<\/p>\n However, some of the samples exceeded what California regulators, who have taken a more aggressive approach than has the federal government, consider safe levels of lead in industrial settings. And many experts say there is no acceptable amount of lead in the environment.<\/p>\n