One day before neighbors are to meet on the future of Bowen Field, a Hillhouse student shared the results of her relevant research: An astroturf field at the high school’s new gridiron would likely send rubber pellets leaching into Beaver Pond.
Domany Koivogui (at left in photo), a 16-year-old sophomore at Hillhouse High School, made that announcement from a stage at Gateway Community College Tuesday morning. She was one of several dozen high school students participating in the Greater New Haven Earth Day Environmental Youth Summit.
Domany and her classmates in Karen Beitler’s science class shared the results of their recent science projects, which all focused on Beaver Pond Park, adjacent to the high school.
The city is moving forward with an $11 million plan to re-do the school’s athletic field, known as Bowen Field. The plan has triggered some alarm bells with neighbors concerned about the new field’s environmental impact. A public hearing on the plan is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Hillhouse Field House.
When she took the stage Tuesday to introduce her students, Beitler (pictured) asked people to spread the word about Wednesday’s hearing. “We need your help to stop artificial turf.”
Domany said she did an experiment to determine the effects of artificial turf on ground and water nearby. She filled a tray with dirt and gravel, simulating the under-layer planned for beneath the turf. She laid in artificial turf, which includes rubber pellets made from recycled tires. Then she simulated a year’s worth of rain fall by pouring water on the turf. She found that only 1 percent of the pellets remained in the turf. The rest washed “downhill” into the ground and water.
“That’s pretty bad,” said Beitler. She closed the presentation with another call for people to show up at Wednesday’s hearing.