Arsenic, Mercury Found In Bed-Stuy Dog Park

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT— A fenced dog run at Herbert Von King Park in Bed-Stuy closed after routine testing found elevated levels of arsenic and mercury in the soil, leaving dog owners to find new ways to exercise their pets.

The Parks Department discovered the contamination while testing soil for a planned reconstruction of the dog run.

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Construction is not expected to begin until fall 2027.

The City has not said what health risks the contamination poses to people or dogs who used the run.

The dog run sits on the northwest corner of the park and is one of the neighborhood's few fenced, off-leash spaces.

Its ground is covered mostly with mulch, although bare patches expose some of the soil.

Parks officials said the rest of Herbert Von King Park poses no exposure risk and will remain open.

As a temporary measure, the City now allows dogs to run off leash in the rest of the park before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m.

The fenced run also has separate areas for large and small dogs, a feature owners say they cannot replicate by letting their pets roam elsewhere in the park.

The Parks Department and Health Department have not publicly detailed whether the elevated metals pose a health risk from contact with the soil, mulch or dust.