LEBANON - What lies beneath? The title of a Hollywood movie is also a question people in Lebanon are asking about Cheadle Lake.

Some recall stories of industrial pollution and barrels of contaminants buried in the lake years ago, but officials say they haven't found evidence to support the claims.

At a meeting in December to gather public opinion about turning the lake and surrounding area into a park, several speakers, including former city councilor Scott Simpson, raised the question of pollution in the lake. Simpson said he's all for the park but he's heard firsthand accounts from former mill employees that drums of chemicals were deposited around the lake for years.

"I'm just concerned that Lebanon citizens might someday be responsible for cleaning up a polluted site," he said.

The 100-acre lake is a naturally-occurring body of water that was drained and dredged decades ago and used as a log pond by various mills over the years. In the center are several islands covered with blackberry bushes.

Rob Freres, executive vice president of Freres Lumber Company, which owned the lake from 1985 to 2005, said the company conducted rigorous environmental tests on the lake before donating it to the Lebanon Community Foundation, even gaining the approval of Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality.

"Our testing went on for many, many years," he said. "I suppose it's possible that there's pollution around the lake but I'd be quite surprised."

Tests included searching for arsenic, beryllium and pesticides in the water and sediment. A cross section of fish were tested for traces of pentachlorophenol, a chemical used by mills to prevent black fungus from growing on lumber.

None of the tests showed unfavorable results and the lake's fish were found to be cleaner than those in the South Santiam River.

"DEQ couldn't believe the fish were that clean so they made us do it again. And it came out the same," Freres said.

Bill Mason, a DEQ groundwater hydrologist in Eugene, recently reviewed what he called a "monster" file of environmental studies conducted on the lake over the years. He noted that in 1997 DEQ signed off on the site and recommended that no further action was required.

Mason said the DEQ typically considers what operations took place on a site and asks for specific tests at spots where certain chemicals were likely used.

"We wouldn't necessarily know if somebody took a boat to the opposite shore and dumped barrels of something," he said. "But this is about as thorough an investigation as you can reasonably expect."

However, Lebanon is not taking the tests as final proof. The city's environmental operations manager, Darrel McLaughlin, said he's planning to conduct more tests on the lake this year to see if conditions have changed.

Public Works Director Jim Ruef said that city officials have heard talk of pollution but so far nobody has stepped forward to point out where exactly to look for it.

"If anyone knows of a specific location, we'd like to talk to them," Ruef said.

As of yet, the city has made no agreements to take ownership of the lake, but City Attorney Tom McHill said that if it had, then an environmental cleanup would most likely be the city's responsibility. The council is expected to consider the issue later this year.

Patrick Lair can be reached at 258-6441 or patrick.lair@lee.net.