Jurupa Valley residents concerned about weekslong hazmat activity at Pleasant Valley Park

JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- It's a question that residents in one Jurupa Valley neighborhood have been asking for weeks: What in the world is going on at Pleasant Valley Park? An Eyewitness News viewer

"This park was very active, there's a lot of kids," said resident Peter Reynoso. "It's a good park."

But Reynoso said early last month, the park has been a source of mystery for residents.

The gates are locked. Large trucks are parked all around the perimeter, and inside, there's heavy equipment on standby.

And they say officials in hazardous materials suits have dug a 4-feet-deep hole across the entire retention pond on the south end of the park.

"I (asked them) what is it you're digging up because we saw hazmat suits. They were fully dressed in hazmat," said resident Cindy Fraley.

Reynoso said back in December, generators would run all night long, pumping water through hoses out of the retention pond.

"The thing about it is they've been here 24 hours a day, working nonstop. The generators are out here running all night long," said Reynoso, who said when he asks questions to the crews at the park, no one answers him.

The mystery stems back to an incident with a garbage truck fire on Nov. 29, when smoke began emanating from the back of the truck. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, but declared a hazmat incident at the scene. And residents say they've had all of this mysterious activity in this park ever since.

Officials with the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health said the source of the fire was likely magnesium phosphate packets that were found in the garbage truck container.

A statement posted online by the Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District said it was actually the suppression of the hazardous materials fire behind the garbage truck that led to the concerns around Pleasant Valley Park.

"As part of the Riverside County Fire Department's firefighting efforts, a firefighting foam was used to suppress the flames. This foam ultimately mixed with the water used in fighting the fire and flowed into the storm drain near the incident. Riverside County Fire Hazardous Material Response Team and Riverside County Environmental Health Department were dispatched to the scene as a result. It was determined that the materials ultimately washed through the storm drainage system into a retention basin at Pleasant Valley Park. As a result, the retention basin is currently considered potentially contaminated, and the potentially contaminated soil must be removed in a secure manner and then replaced with clean soil."

In response to an inquiry made by Eyewitness News, Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District general manager Colby Diuguid said they learned two days before Christmas that the firefighting foam that was used was not environmentally unsafe after all, and the park was never contaminated in the first place.

Because of the recent storms, Diuguid said they haven't been able to clean everything up until they get a break in the weather.

"This is anticipated to take three to four weeks, depending on the weather," said Diuguid in a letter scheduled to go out to residents soon. At that point, the District's Landscape Contractor will begin reinstalling irrigation lines and turf. "Large roll sod will be used to help expedite the process. Once completed, the turf will need a few weeks to properly root before the park can be reopened for public use. Prior to the reopening of Pleasant Valley Park, the entire facility will undergo thorough pressure washing and cleaning."

The Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District said residents can stay informed about what's happening at the park at Pleasant Valley Park - Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District.