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.
figureThe study, 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.
Yet the dump raised questions about the Trump administration’s decision to circumvent environmental laws when it dumped trucks full of soil, rebar, plaster and other debris in the middle of a popular public thoroughfare near the Jefferson Memorial.
The president is planning an extensive renovation of the 105-year-old golf course, where generations have played overlooking the monuments and memorials, at bargain rates, currently $42 for 18 holes on weekdays. Mr Trump wants to turn it into a championship course, which would likely eliminate the existing mini-golf course as well as the surrounding roadway that is popular with cyclists and runners.
The soil test results have provided ammunition for a conservationist group that is suing over the dumping of debris and which is also fighting widespread takeover of the golf course. In its lawsuit, the nonprofit DC Preservation League argued that the dumping was illegal and potentially dangerous to golfers, community members, and wildlife.
Norm Eisen, executive chairman of the Democracy Defenders Fund, said, “We knew that the demolition of the East Wing and the changes to East Potomac were legally toxic; now we know they are environmentally toxic as well.” It is representing the DC Preservation League and two area residents in the case, as are Democracy Forward and Lowell & Associates.
Katie Martin, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, which includes the National Park Service, said in an email that the soil is safe.
“The soil was tested multiple times by multiple parties, and the project exceeded all standards set by law,” Ms. Martin said. “Although we do not comment on litigation, this thorough process was followed to ensure that the transfer was safe for the public. All findings are available online.”
The new data was included in an interim report by Park Service consultants Jacobs Engineering Group. The firm collected dozens of soil samples in the East Potomac and sent them to an independent laboratory, where they were tested for a variety of pollutants.
According to the interim report, the preliminary results applied to 30 samples collected between October 28, 2025, and April 2. None of these samples exceeded what the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe levels of lead, a potent neurotoxin, at industrial and commercial sites.
However, some samples exceeded California regulators, who have taken a more aggressive stance than the federal government on what they consider safe levels of lead in industrial settings. And many experts say there is no acceptable amount of lead in the environment.
Exposure to high levels of lead in childhood can cause stomach pain, vomiting, fatigue, learning difficulties, developmental delays, and seizures. In adults, high or long-term risk levels are associated for high blood pressureKidney damage and memory and concentration problems.
“There is no safe level of exposure to lead; it is one of the most toxic elements that we know of,” said Joseph G., professor of risk assessment sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. said Allen, who reviewed the findings of the interim report on lead.
“One of the dangers you have to think about with lead is that it doesn’t just stay out in the soil,” Dr. Allen said. “We track it on our shoes. So depending on where the clay is placed, golfers and other people can track it indoors.”
Some of the early samples also contained high amounts of chromium, another toxic metal commonly found in soil at the site. According to the interim report, asbestos, a cancer-causing mineral, was not found in any of the initial samples.
However, two samples were inadvertently not tested for asbestos, the report said. According to the document, the third sample was also not tested for asbestos because its container was broken during shipment to the laboratory.
Apart from the 30 initial samples, another 14 samples were collected on April 23. The results of the second batch of tests are not yet available.
In October, the Trump administration began dumping truckloads of dirt and debris from the East Wing demolition project without public notice. Then in December, the administration moved to terminate the 50-year lease held by the nonprofit National Links Trust to manage East Potomac and two other public golf courses in Washington.
The DC Preservation League and two area residents filed a lawsuit in February to try to block these moves, saying the administration had ignored environmental reviews required by the National Environmental Policy Act. In a legal filing Sunday, lawyers for the conservationist group wrote that the administration had “dumped a cocktail of pollutants — and despite indications of the waste’s content, they continued to dump it.”
The group also asked a federal judge for emergency relief after The Washington Post and Notus reported that construction and tree removal could begin as soon as Monday as part of a major renovation of the golf course. But at a hastily scheduled hearing Monday morning, the judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order.
Judge Ana C. Reyes of the federal district court in Washington said, “I don’t want to be the supervisor of Parks and Rec; I’m no Amy Poehler.”
Nevertheless, Judge Reyes ordered the administration to notify the conservationist group if plans changed. “I don’t want a situation where something happens and then I’m told by the government or a foundation or a bulldozer company that it’s too late to do anything about it,” she said.
