A section of Magnolia Park that has been closed since September will reopen after it was determined that the conditions at the site do not pose an imminent hazard or risk of harm to residents. 

Last year, the City of Lynn limited access to a portion of Magnolia Park after environmental testing indicated the presence of arsenic in the soil a foot beneath the ground, requiring notification to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Inspectional Services Director Michael Donovan said.

Follow-up testing conducted at the park to further evaluate potential impacts determined that the closed part of the park is safe. Fencing will be removed and the park will be reopened by the end of the week, Mayor Jared Nicholson’s office said in a press release. 

“We are pleased to be able to reopen all of Magnolia Park, with the knowledge that soil testing has revealed there is no danger to public health, as we suspected,” Donovan said.

As previously reported, Donovan said the park was built on a swamp more than 100 years ago and that most people had coal furnaces at that time. A large amount of coal ash containing heavy metals was used to fill in the park, he said. 

Arsenic is a natural component of the Earth’s crust and is widely distributed throughout the environment in the air, water, and land. It is highly toxic in its inorganic form, according to the World Health Organization.