Contaminated Materials Found at Barrington Elementary School Playground

Contaminated Materials Found at Barrington Elementary School Playground

Barrington Schools Superintendent Robert Wargo first disclosed in a letter to parents last week that elevated levels of contaminates were detected during the renovation of Primrose Hill Elementary School.

“We wanted to reach out to share some updates about a recent finding on our school grounds as part of our ongoing renovation project,” wrote Wargo.

“During routine environmental testing, our environmental engineer found a small area on the grounds with slightly elevated levels of two common compounds. While the levels are just above the state’s residential standards, they remain below commercial standards, which means there’s no immediate cause for alarm,” Wargo added.

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The letter did not disclose the contaminants or the level detected.

The Barrington School Department held a meeting with parents on Wednesday night.

More information was provided at the meeting. According to Barrington Schools, the contaminates detected are elevated levels of manganese, two polyaromatic hydrocarbons, chrysene, and benzo(a)pyrene.

Manganese was detected at a concentration of 543 mg/kg, which exceeds the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Managernent (RIDEM) Residential Direct Exposure Criteria (R-DEC) of 390 mg/kg.

The chrysene and benzo(a)pyrene highest detected concentrations were 543 ug/kg and 507 ug/kg, respectively. The RIDEM's R-DEC is 400 ug/kg for each compound. These levels are above the state's allowable level.

 

 

The contaminated material was found in the playground area — "The area where the borings are located is between the playground and the paved area and is adjacent to the area where the swings are located."

Barrington Public Schools said it reported the contaminants to RIDEM, on October 25.

In addition, the Barrington School Department claims, "RIDEM has issued a Letter of Responsibility- Dig and Haul Approval on October 30, 2024. Under the RIDEM Dig and Haul Policy, the Town will excavate the non-compliant soils and transfer the material for off-site disposal. A remediation contractor is being selected as soon as October 31."

The exact date of the removal was not revealed, and the cost of the remediation has not been disclosed.

Parents attending the event told GoLocal that neither RIDEM nor representatives of the Rhode Island Department of Health attended the meeting.

 

Promise of Transparency

The initial letter from Wargo stated:

“As always, the health and safety of our students, staff, and community members come first. To be cautious, we’ve taken steps to cordon off this small area so no one can access it. We’re working closely with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) to create a safe, effective plan to address this matter and ensure the area is clear for everyone.

We’ll keep everyone informed going forward and we’re planning to hold a meeting next week to answer any questions you might have. Our goal is to handle this with transparency and keep our school community fully in the loop!

Despite promises of transparency, no information has been posted to the Barrington School Department website, the Primrose Hill page, or to social media.

In recent days, while the Barrington School Department's Facebook page has not mentioned the detection of contaminants, it did include posts about a touch-a-truck event at another elementary school and a Future Business Leaders of America event at the high school.

GoLocal emailed Wargo asking for clarification on the contamination. 

Wargo did not respond.