Pa. playground closed due to chicken manure spill

[September 12, 2013]  MEYERSDALE, Pa. (AP) -- A southwestern Pennsylvania borough has indefinitely closed a playground because of lingering contamination from a chicken manure spill last month.

The (Somerset) Daily American (http://bit.ly/18c0rNW) reports the Meyersdale borough council voted Tuesday night to close the Paul E. Fuller playground.

The manure spilled on a hill above the playground Aug. 23, and water flows onto the playground when it rains, apparently carrying bacteria from the manure. Borough workers treated the area with lime, but say bacteria counts, including salmonella, haven't decreased.

Councilman Roger Miller says his own unscientific methods have confirmed those findings saying, "My nose tells me there's a problem out there."

Miller asked a borough worker about the results of recent bacteria tests and says he was told, "You don't want to know."

___

Information from: Daily American, http://www.dailyamerican.com/

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.