Zebulon town leaders have temporarily closed Gill Street Park after elevated levels of lead were found during soil testing, but WRAL Investigates has found that the site has had tests indicating glass, lead and arsenic were found at the site more than a year ago.
Gill Street Park has resided on a landfill since the 1960s. The 3.6-acre park currently has a playground, basketball court, picnic tables, grass and landscaping. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality said the space has less than one foot of soil covering the waste and noted glass, metal, brick and porcelain as dangers. Lead was also found in concentrations above the NCDEQ residential standards.
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Despite the recent closure, documents filed with the NCDEQ show that as far back as 2024 there were concerns about the site.
Zebulon Parks and Recreation Director Sheila Long said the town followed the guidance of an environmental firm and kept the park partially open after the first round of testing found lead. She said, based on that feedback, they put in place barricades and covered the ground with mulch in areas with elevated lead concentrations.
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"Based on the data that we had available to us, [we took] what remediation steps needed to be taken. We took all the steps that we were advised to take," she said.
WRAL Investigates found documents that show the town was informed the park was built on top of a landfill about 20 years ago, though no testing was done until 2024. When WRAL asked Long why no testing was done before a couple years ago, she referred us to the DEQ.
The DEQ did not immediately respond to our questions.
In May 2024, a Soil Assessment Report prepared by Mid-Atlantic Associates because the town was considering improvements to the park showed that "soil in a majority of the borings reportedly contained fragments of glass, brick, metal and rock."
Lab tests showed the presence of "arsenic, cadmium, lead and benzo(a)pyrene" above DEQ Residential Health Based Preliminary Soil Remediation Goals in one or more soil samples collected.
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Lead above the DEQ recommended goals was predominately detected in soil samples from along the northern and western perimeter of the park and a small isolated area in the center of the park, according to the report.
In January 2025, Geo Solutions Limited Inc. conducted a geophysical survey that backed up the soil assessment report from 2024's findings. Electromagnetic activity was noted along the northern and western perimeter of the site, which appeared to correspond to "shards of glass observed at the surface" and with areas of elevated lead concentrations identified in the 2024 report.
More soil testing as done between June 16 and December 15, 2025, according to report from Hart & Hickman, which conducted more tests on the site.
A site assessment report dated March 6, 2026, showed lab results found "detectable concentrations of metals in each of the background samples."
Part of the tests involved boring into the soil to define the waste boundary. Waste was found between a quarter and 11 feet below ground surface. Crews encountered shallower waster within the park and deeper waste in adjacent residential properties. The waste material found included broken glass, metal, bricks and porcelain.
Groundwater samples from monitoring wells were also checked. Volatile organic compounds -Tetrachloroethene and Methyl-tert-butyl ether - were found in the samples with concentrations above lab method detection limits. In addition, metals including antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, selenium, thallium, vanadium and zinc were detected in one or more wells at concentrations above laboratory detection limits.
Despite this, all but two groundwater samples fell within the generally acceptable results for cumulative lifetime carcinogenic risk levels.
Long said the town is committed to informing the public as it takes steps to recover from this.
"We're gonna work together, and we're gonna fight for our community to make sure that they have the resources that they need. And we're here to support them," she said.
The Town of Zebulon is working with experts to determine the best path forward for environmental remediation at Gill Street Park.
A community meeting about the issue will be held at Mt. Zion Holiness Church at 6 PM on April 21st, 2026.
