Lincoln Elementary School

909 Sequoia Trail, Madison, WI 53713

Total Students: 397
TESTING PRIORITY: LOW
ABSTRACT
The school was built in 1965. The main sources of potential lead contamination would be from
lead paint and from legacies of leaded gasoline from nearby roads. However, the school garden
was tested for lead and no traces of the contaminant were found. Additionally, the school gardens
use mitigation techniques proven to reduce lead levels in soil. Some of the techniques they use
include raised beds and imported soil. Overall, the risk of lead contamination within the schools
gardens is very low.
GARDEN CHARACTERISTICS

Garden Type: The school has two gardens, a vegetable garden and a prairie butterfly garden.

Bed Type: Raised Beds

When established: The vegetable garden is over twenty years old and the prairie garden was
established in 2006/2007.

Size: The vegetable garden is approximately 3,200 square feet and the prairie garden is
about 250 square feet.

Location on school grounds: The vegetable garden is located on the back field, whereas the
prairie garden exists on the west side of the building. The prairie garden is about 200 feet from
the school and the vegetable garden is even further from the school.

Soil type/soil origins: The soil is imported.

Mitigation used: Imported soil and raised beds.

Has soil been tested: The soil was tested and lead levels were determined to be safe
The school has two gardens, a vegetable garden and a prairie butterfly garden. These gardens
serve as outdoor learning spaces for students at the school. Almost all of the students enrolled
(397 students) visit the garden around one hour per week during the spring and fall.
NEARBY LAND USE
Major Roads: The Beltline, Fish Hatchery Road, S Park St.
The beltline is 2,360 feet south of the school, Fish Hatchery Road is 1,550 feet west of the
school, and South Park Street is 1,200 feet east of the school. Since of all of these roads existed

before lead was phased out of gasoline (mid-1970s), we can assume that cars using lead gasoline
were driving by the school for at least five years.
Currently single and multi family homes, commercial buildings, and recreational areas with
green space surround the school. Little to no industrial sites have been/ are near the school and
therefore we can deduce that lead from industries would not be the cause of lead levels if they
were present in the school gardens.

PAST SITE USE

Aerial photographs from the 1930s show that at this time the site was an open field within the
city of Madison. City road maps from the Wisconsin Historical Society show that the site turned
into a golf course in the 1950s. More specifically it was Burr Oaks Golf Course. Closer to 1960 it
appears that the golf course became an empty grass field.
The school exists in a newer section of the city. For instance, there was a minute amount of
buildings and roads present within a mile of the area up until the late 1940s. In the 1960s, many
buildings began to be constructed around the site. Thus, some of the buildings around the school
were built before lead was phased out of paint (1971-1978). Therefore, it is highly likely that
lead paint was used on these buildings. If no mitigation measures have taken place since their
construction, it is possible that lead paint from these buildings has chipped off and ended up in
the school gardens soil. However, the gardens are over 200 feet from any of these buildings and
it is highly likely that mitigation has taken place; therefore, the risk of lead exposure resulting
from lead chipping off surrounding buildings is low.

CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION

Initial Construction: Lincoln Elementary School was built in 1965.
Renovation: No renovation information is known at the moment.

BUILDING MATERIALS
Paint
Since Lincoln elementary school was constructed in 1965 and the use of lead-based house paint
was officially banned in 1978, it is highly likely that lead-based paint was used during the
schools construction. However, it is also likely that the school has painted over that paint and
used other mitigation techniques to prevent lead exposure. Nonetheless, there is a chance that
lead paint chips have broken off the school walls due to weathering and landed in garden soil.

This chance is quite low since the school gardens are located about 200 feet from the school
structure.
Other Materials:
The school is made mostly out of brick. Therefore, it is likely that there was a low amount of
lead paint applied to the outside walls. If lead paint was used, it was most likely used on indoor
walls and windowsills.