The former Fresh Kills landfill has been closed for 15 years, but concerns still arise about whether the area is safe for the public. Monday, a group of high school students were invited inside to help with ongoing water quality testing that's proving the old dump is in pretty good ecological shape. NY1's Amanda Farinacci filed the following report.

They are simple water quality tests done using beakers, testing agents and just a bucket full of water from a creek. But their results tell the story of the successful transformation of the old Fresh Kills landfill.  

"A lot of people get nervous about being around, people go kayaking in it and stuff, and to see that it's actually safe environment, after everything that it's been through," said Patricia Wise, an environmental science student.

The Fresh Kills landfill was closed back in 2001, and since then, a host of city agencies have been working to convert it into a park to be fully open to the public in 20 years.  

Currently, the site is only open the public with limited access. Much time is spent testing the area to make sure it's safe. The Department of Sanitation tests the water for chemicals related to the landfill closing, and the Parks Department monitors it to see how easy it is for wildlife to live there.

Monday, a group of high school environmental science students joined parks officials to help with water testing that takes place every other week.

"We were comparing the ideal levels of certain chemicals in the water and the PH levels to see how well different species thrive," said Cyrus Simons, an environmental science student.

A 2,200-acre site, Fresh Kills is home to more than 210 acres of open water, creeks that flow into the Arthur Kill, then the Raritan Bay and finally, the ocean. And what they've found, overwhelmingly, is, according to Cait Field of the Fresh Kills Park, that "the water is quite clean."

That's good news, not just for the public that will eventually be able to access the site, but for the fish and animals who now call the space home. In the last 15 years, the Parks Department has seen an increase in the number and types of species found in Fresh Kills.

"We have great bird populations on site. We do see ospreys. There's about six nests of osprey on site," Field said. "We're seeing changes in grassland birds because this is now the biggest section of grasslands in the whole region."

That means you're now more likely to see different species of owls, sparrows, pheasants and even hawks flying over the water and feeding from the fish that live inside it.