Beachwood High School's New Stadium Has Run-Off Problems

BEACHWOOD, OH - Adhesive at Beachwood School's new stadium dissolved and washed into a retention pond, the school said today.

The adhesive poses no threat to students, the community, or wildlife. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) told the school district that the polymer is not considered dangerous, but does need further testing and needs to be cleaned up.

The EPA will test water at the retention pond again tomorrow, when the district hopes to get an all-clear.

Shana Wallenstein, the district's director of development and interim director of communications, said that the clean-up efforts will not cost Beachwood Schools anything. Instead, the contractor who installed the track, Current Surfaces Inc. will pick up any costs.

The run-off of the adhesive will not impact Friday night's football game, or student activities at the stadium.

Superintendent Dr. Robert P. Hardis sent an email to parents this afternoon alerting them to the issue.

The retention pond has been dammed since this morning so that no new water enters the storm sewer system downstream from the stadium. The discolored water traveled as far as a retention area on the Beachwood-Pepper Pike border. We will know shortly from the EPA how extensive a clean up effort will need to be undertaken. The track surfacing contractor has been responsive to the EPA's requirements up to this point in time.

Current Surfaces have hired Clean Harbor, a contractor, who are mobilizing on site this afternoon to vacuum out the stadium retention basin. Water quality testing will be conducted tomorrow to ensure its safety before opening up the drainage system here and downstream.

The adhesive run-off was discovered by the Pepper Pike Fire Department, who noticed that there was a off-white substance floating in the city's retention pond. Pepper Pike firefighters then contacted the Beachwood Fire Department. Beachwood firefighters discovered the same substance floating in the Beachwood retention pond and traced the source to the new track.

Image from Beachwood Schools