Park News Nov 24 2005
OK to Plant and Pull Weeds
In response to a new study of the radiation issue in the park reported here earlier, see Park News Nov 20 2025, Berkeley’s city manager has partially lifted the “soil disturbance ban.” It is now OK to dig and pull weeds as far as one foot below the surface, according to a new off-agenda memo reported in Berkeleyside today.
The new memo relies on a Nov 14 report by SCS Engineering, the firm that maintains the landfill gas system at the park, showing that earlier reports of high levels of radioactive materials in deeply buried liquids (leachate and groundwater) were inaccurate due to poor measuring methods. Improved measurements showed that the actual levels were much lower and did not pose a safety hazard.
The new report did find high levels of radon gas inside the sealed plumbing that collects landfill gas from vertical extraction wells. These levels pose no hazard except potentially to workers maintaining this network of pipes and valves, said the report. The city published a manual outlining standard safety precautions for workers on these tasks.
The green light for soil disturbance down to one foot will enable Chavez Park Conservancy volunteers to resume planting work for the Pollinator Garden in the Native Plant Area, and to resume pulling weeds.
The one-foot limitation lacks any clear basis in evidence. If the concern is buried radiation, the drone survey conducted by the UC nuclear department in October 2024 was capable of detecting gamma radiation more than one meter below the surface, and found none. If the concern is breaching the clay cap over the buried garbage, the soil cover over the clay cap is a minimum of three feet thick everywhere in the park. The thinnest layer of cover is in the Protected Natural Area on the north side. In the hilly portions of the park further south, the typical soil cover over the clay cap is much deeper and may top 30 feet. The one-foot limit does have the possible utility of barring the perimeter pathway repaving project and the permanent restroom project. The city manager has diverted the funding for both of these projects to other purposes, not yet identified.
Brief Bird News
The Shy Owl was in hiding this morning, and other Burrowing Owls that may have been present kept out of sight. It’s an open question whether the owl seen on the rock north of the Spiral early in the mornings over the weekend is the Shy Owl. I conjectured that it might be, but the photo of the owl on the rock isn’t sharp enough to say it with confidence. Possibly an issue in the owl or owls hiding this morning is the breakdown of the south gate to the Burrowing Owl preserve. It was vandalized more than a week ago and so far has not been repaired. This morning the cables lay on the ground. It does not look like the city is in a hurry to protect the Burrowing Owls.
The first Scaup that I’ve seen this season showed up on the North Basin this morning. I saw only half a dozen. In some past years they have come in flocks of more than a thousand.
A Great Egret that has been patrolling the east shore of the park for about a week stalked past the picnic areas this morning. The big rock gave an approximate yardstick for the bird’s height.
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