Residents in the city of DuPont took to Facebook recently concerned about why a half dozen fruit trees were sitting unplanted in the DuPont Heirloom Orchard near City Hall.
After a conversation with Mayor Ron Frederick on Tuesday, The News Tribune verified the trees have not been planted in the orchard because the city recently confirmed the soil contains high levels of arsenic and lead due to contamination from the former Asarco copper smelter plant in Tacoma. The City Council will decide in the new year whether to clean up the site and plant the trees there or relocate them elsewhere, Frederick said.
The saplings are cuttings from a group of fruit trees that were originally brought from England and planted by Fort Nisqually residents in the early 1840s, according to the city. Frederick said he anticipated the council to debate the historical value of the trees and make adecision on where the trees would be planted by springtime…