A 53-foot pile of dirt in Berkeley’s McLaughlin Eastshore State Park is set to be lowered by 15 feet and spread around the parkland as part of renovations to improve the area.
The East Bay Regional Park District is slated to start work on the project this week. The dirt will be spread between the Seabreeze Market and Brickyard Cove.
“Trails, a picnic area, debris removal, native plant seeding and shoreline restoration are part of the long-term plan,” EBRPD said in a prepared statement. “In all, the Park District plans to move more than 100,000 cubic yards of dirt.”
The dirt pile has been around for about a decade, and came from excavation projects around the Bay Area, including El Cerrito High School’s sports fields and UC Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium.
A “very small portion” that is contaminated will be removed. Several smaller hills will be created “to buffer the park from the freeway and create views for bird-watching and enjoying the scenery,” according to EBRPD.