Debris from the demolition of the White House East Wing that was hauled to a public golf course near Washington has tested positive for toxic metals and other chemicals, according to an interim report described by the National Park Service. The reported findings have become part of a legal battle over whether the debris transfer complied with federal environmental and historic preservation requirements and over plans to renovate East Potomac Golf Links, a historic course that President Donald Trump has said he wants to improve.
The National Park Service said the debris dumped at East Potomac Golf Links tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals. In an interim report commissioned and requested by the park service, Jacobs Engineering Group described detection of toxic metals plus PCBs, pesticides, petroleum byproducts and other chemicals in soil samples at the site, with the report characterizing results as above laboratory reporting limits.
The park service began dumping East Wing debris onto the golf course in October, according to the report, and it said more than 30,000 cubic yards—810,000 cubic feet—of excavated soil had been transported to the site as of last month. The East Potomac Golf Links project, the report said, is tied to Trump’s plan to renovate the course.
Federal litigation is ongoing. The DC Preservation League has sued the Trump administration, arguing that the debris dumping was unlawful and possibly hazardous. The lawsuit also challenges the administration’s broader takeover and renovation effort for the golf course, which is about 2 miles (3 kilometers) southeast of the White House.
Rebecca Miller, the Preservation League’s executive director, said Tuesday that experts were still analyzing the engineering report. She also said the group remained concerned about whether the administration’s actions complied with federal laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Interior Department spokeswoman Katie Martin, whose office oversees the National Park Service, said in an email Tuesday that the soil removed from the White House “was tested multiple times, by multiple parties, and this project passed all standards set by law.” Martin added that the Interior Department did not comment on the details of litigation, but said “this thorough process was followed to ensure the transfer was safe for the public.”
As the dispute continues, a federal judge indicated that major further actions at the golf course could face limits while the case proceeds. U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes told the government during a remote hearing on Monday not to cut down more than 10 trees without first providing notice amid the legal dispute, and she said she would not issue a temporary restraining order at that time while also indicating she would take a harsh view of major alterations made without prior notice.
Democracy Forward, a national legal organization co-representing the Preservation League, said in a press release that “further scrutiny will be required related to potential toxins that were dumped at East Potomac Park by the administration as part of the destruction of the East Wing of the White House.” The group said test results released by the government indicated the defendants “dumped a cocktail of contaminants — and despite indications of the refuse’s contents, they continued dumping it.”
Miller said the dumping has been visible enough to affect golfers’ experience, saying debris piles caused golfers to detour around them. She also argued that the administration’s renovation plans for the 105-year-old course would permanently alter its historic character and layout.
The Preservation League’s suit is among several legal battles challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to remake public spaces in Washington. Late last year, another group of preservationists filed a separate lawsuit seeking to prevent the administration from demolishing the East Wing so it could build a ballroom project slated to cost $400 million, according to the report.