Modesto dog park to reopen soon following antifreeze discovery
A Modesto dog park that was closed after a toxic fluid was found there earlier this month has been deemed safe, but recent storms have postponed its reopening.
Antifreeze was found mixed in a puddle of rainwater at the dog park at 601 Morris Ave. on March 9 and city officials closed the park as work was done to remove the toxins.
City spokeswoman Diana Ruiz-Del Re said crews removed the tainted water, dug out the engineered wood bark and some of the soil under it, and sent a soil sample to a lab for testing.
Ruiz-Del Re said Friday that the soil sample showed no signs of antifreeze and the city moved forward with preparing the park for reopening.
She said storms earlier this week delayed that process but the soil should be replaced this week and new bark added next week.
Ruiz-Del Re anticipates the park will reopen Wednesday or Thursday.
Antifreeze is highly toxic and poses a particular danger to dogs, as they find it sweet tasting.
Ruiz-Del Re said she is aware of comments on social media from people who said their dogs became ill around the time they visited the park but no one has filed a formal complaint with the city.
Ruiz-Del Re said it is unknown how the antifreeze got into the park, which is surrounded by a gate.
