Officials stocked Chickasaw Park’s newly renovated pond with more than 1,000 fish Wednesday morning, hoping to turn the page on the pond’s contaminated past.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources added young largemouth bass, channel catfish and other species to the pond, which is now larger and deeper than before the restoration project.
The young fish will grow up to a catchable size within a year, said Dane Balsman, a fisheries biologist with the department.
But it will take several years to confirm whether the pond’s long-standing chemical contamination was purged when crews drained, dredged and renovated it over the past year.
As a result, fishing in the pond is restricted to catch and release only until 2028, by order of the department, while officials test the fish and ensure they’re safe to eat.
Chickasaw Park was originally designed in 1923 by the Olmsted firm for the area’s Black residents during segregation. It was a known training ground for Muhammad Ali, and is home to the storied West Louisville Tennis Club .
For decades, the park’s pond was tainted by harmful chemicals. Signage beside the pond, rusted over the years, warned residents against eating the fish, “as they may be contaminated.”
Now, new signs along the water inform park goers of officials’ ongoing sampling efforts. Swimming in the pond or harvesting any fish is prohibited in the meantime.
The lingering toxins in Chickasaw Park pond
Since at least the 1990s , sampling showed the presence of harmful toxins in the Chickasaw Park pond’s fish population, including dioxins and heavy metals.
Dioxins are a group of chemical compounds known to break down slowly in the environment and are linked to cancer and other health problems.
They’re often introduced to the environment as a byproduct of industrial processes, including chemical manufacturing.
In 2019, the state issued a “no further action” letter based on recent sampling, which showed metals and other contaminants within regulators’ “acceptable levels.”
The recent sampling also picked up a dioxin called OCDD, or octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.
OCDD is considered toxic and a “long-term hazard” to aquatic environments by a United Nations classification , but research on the compound's health effects is limited.
A 2019 city report on the pond noted "EPA has not issued a limit" for OCDD.
Future sampling of fish tissue will reveal whether the contaminants have faded from the pond, or managed to persist — as dioxins notoriously do.
A beloved feature of Chickasaw Park
Chickasaw Park’s recent restoration, supported by $2.5 million in federal funding, aims to renew community pride in one of the historic park’s central features.
The pond is “well-loved,” and fixing it up was a high priority for the park’s renovation efforts based on community engagement, said Jessica Kane, an administrator with Louisville Parks and Recreation.
Mona White, 66, grew up in the Chickasaw neighborhood, and watched as officials stocked fish in the pond Wednesday morning.
“I learned how to fish right here,” she said, adding the pond has long been important to her and her family.
For her granddaughter Jasmine, fishing and spending time at the pond “was like meditation, and a real medicine.”
The pond and surrounding green space has served as medicine for her, too.
“I don't give a damn what kind of day I'm having,” White said. She can come to the park, “and just sit for a minute.”
“And then I'm ready to deal with the rest of the world.”
Connor Giffin is an environmental reporter for The Courier Journal. Reach him directly at cgiffin@gannett.com or on X @byconnorgiffin .
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Fish are back in the pond at Louisville's Chickasaw Park — but you still can’t eat them
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