SAINT JOHN, N.B.- There may be some environmental issues when it comes to opening up Partridge Island to the public again.

Saint John Waterfront Development has announced future plans for the island in hopes of making it more accessible to the public.

Local Historian Harold Wright,  who ran tours to Partridge Island in the nineties, says the island is contaminated. “the biggest contaminant, the most widespread of course, is arsenic which is a by-product of burning coal which happened throughout the city”, says Wright. “The lightkeeper in the 70′s was going down to the old coke pile, loading up his trailer tractor and spreading it around the island”.

Wright says Waterfront Development probably only wants to lease the island and that way would not be responsible for cleaning up any contamination.

He says it could still likely be used by the public.