According to the National Park and Recreation Association (NPRA):In the 1950s through the early 1970s, FMC Corp. fabricated agriculture sprayers and firefighting equipment that they tested, spraying orchards and igniting and extinguishing fires, on a swath of land that would eventually become Crego Park.In 1973, the city bought the land from the corporation. It made a perfect expansion of the adjacent park land and provided a 15-acre lake that people started using immediately for boating. But in 1986, drums of paint sludge and toxins were discovered in the park and later in the lake. When the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the county health department investigated, they found chemicals on the site. The park closed and the corporation performed an $8 million environmental cleanup that included soil removal, water testing and removal of the drums. The park stayed closed, even after the cleanup was completed in the 1990s.The area finally reopened in 2014. According to the NPRA, before it reopened, the water in the lake was tested to ensure that the fish were not contaminated..

Someone said the park used to be a toxic waste dump. That’s not exactly true. Some years ago, someone illegally dumped several drums of something (I think it was benzene) into the lake. As a result, the park was closed for a very long time and only reopened a few years ago

This is a small, scenic park with pleasant lake and river trail connection. Includes kayak launch area, benches, and wooden pier. Free access, free parking, not crowded, perhaps because activities include fishing, kayaking, and trail walks (with or without a dog). No grills or picnic tables. During the summer, trail walkers should bring bug spray.

I went in reluctantly knowing that used to be a toxic waste site. Walking around they made it look nice. Nice way to get to the river. But I'm still in the back of my mind toxic waste site toxic waste sites. What I go again I don't know. Probably not

The few times we have been here, we have never seen more than a dozen people. Smaller lake with kayak launch area which is really nice. Nice area for fishing. More rustic than some of the other city parks, but a great area to use the trail system. About 3 miles from the zoo.