Lately there has been a lot to do about pollution of the groundwater under the Aagtenpark. This park is located on an old landfill and benzene has been found in the groundwater. Residents of the adjacent residential area De Broekpolder are worried. Publications in the Noordhollands Dagblad brought the business to roll and Nieuwsuur also paid attention to the ‘benzene bell’ under the Aagtenpark.
From landfill to park
The Aagtenpark was built in 2014 at two old landfill places. Until the 1970s, domestic waste was deposited there, and even chemical and industrial waste on the Aagtenbelt. So it’s not surprising that the groundwater at that location is polluted. At a depth of about 15 meters is benzene, a harmful substance that can also be carcinogenic.
The municipality has measurements performed annually. During the last check it appeared that the benzene concentration on the other side of the A22 was higher than permitted. This may indicate that the pollution slowly moves towards the Broekpolder.
No benzene in the neighborhood or ditch
As a precaution, new measuring points have been placed on the other side of the ditch at the Klaas Grootpad. The good news: no benzene was found there. No contaminants were measured in the surface water of the ditch and in the groundwater at a depth of 5 to 6 meters. The values are even under the detection limit, so residents don’t have to worry about that.