While it’s impossible to put a price tag on the natural beauty of Kentucky’s state parks, it is possible to tally up the costs of an illegal dump at one park --  Lake Barkley State Resort near Cadiz. The estimate is $500,000.

     Shortly after taking office, Commerce Secretary Jim Host learned that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had directed the Department of Parks to clean up a dump that it discovered in the spring of 2003. (The Corps owns the land and leases it to the Department of Parks). He also found that the previous administration left the dump alone.

     “This dump was created years ago, and was allowed to grow, and now Kentucky taxpayers are stuck with the cost of cleaning it up,” Host said. “It is clear that the mess in Frankfort created messes all around the state.”

     An environmental consulting firm has spent the past two months digging trenches to analyze the soil in the nearly one-acre site near the park’s maintenance building. Eddie Cooke, an environmental specialist with the Finance and Administration Cabinet, recently reported the findings. The site is filled mostly with debris such as tree limbs, but also contained hazardous waste, resulting in high lead levels. The area will have to be excavated and the contaminated soil neutralized or hauled away. Then, the site must be re-filled with clean dirt, re-graded, and planted with grass seed to restore the land to its previous state.

   After the work is finished, water monitoring must be carried out on a nearby stream.

      Parks Commissioner George Ward said the department will have to seek special funding to pay for the clean up.

     Once such money is found, a bidding process will be undertaken to hire a consultant to oversee the work of a contractor in cleaning up the dumpsite. It is hoped the dump will be removed in the fall, Ward said.

     Meanwhile, parks officials have learned that other parks also have environmental issues that weren’t addressed in past years.

     An assessment by three consultants found problems at a number of parks, ranging from trash dumps to improperly stored materials. Parks officials are examining the reports and will develop a plan of action for addressing the problems.

    Of particular concern are two parks – Pine Mountain and Lake Cumberland state resorts.

    “We found several areas at both parks that contain potentially hazardous materials,” Ward said.

   It could cost $500,000 to clean up all sites at all parks, Ward added.

     “Our first priority in the Department of Parks is to protect our natural environment,” Ward said. “I intend to clean up our parks and will be vigilant in keeping them clean.”