Although the water is getting cold for swimming, dog-walkers, parents and neighbors will be pleased to learn that the water and soil in and around Newcastle Beach Park  showed no significant pollution or health risk, City of Bellevue staff reported to the council Monday.

In April the council asked for testing in response to a neighbor’s concerns about the potential impacts of stormwater runoff on the park. The resident had argued that construction projects on nearby Interstate 405 had increased runoff to the park and that the water draining from the highway through the park to Lake Washington was polluted.

The city hired an independent consultant that both the city and resident agreed upon. Otak, Inc., with an office in Kirkland, reviewed water samples collected by the city and the resident, performed additional testing and reviewed data collected by the state Department of Ecology...

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