Utilities Department sprayed unknown "pre-treat" chemical on storm water rain garden on Allen St. No notice to adjacent property owners was made. No signage. No posting of what was used. When I confronted them they said it was "not bad". Samuel Arthur, Green Infrastructure Crew" was onsite. Please consult other City departments that do NOT treat with chemicals and manage gardens just fine.
On May 4th, 2022 I was taking a walk through the park when I noticed a chemical-type smell lingering near the stream that flows east to west through the middle of the park. When I went to investigate the source of the smell, I was alarmed by an opaque milky white substance contaminating the flowing stream. It also seemed to be the source of the smell. I followed the contamination upstream and traced it to a white PVC pipe that appears to originate from the Bryan Park pool facility. There was also particulate settling in the water where the pipe drains into the stream. Immediately after that I walked to the pool facility and confirmed with two city workers that the pool does indeed drain directly into the park's stream. They also told me that they were directed to power-wash the pool area and the resulting material was discharging directly into the stream via the PVC drainage pipe. Further, other city workers have confirmed with me that the pool water itself gets drained into the stream annually. I am not sure if this is legal - and if it is legal, it is certainly not environmentally sound. The material that is draining into the stream is very likely environmentally harmful.