Pollution delays new N. Aurora playground

Work will be delayed until at least next year on the construction of a playground at North Aurora's Island Park.

Preliminary environmental testing has shown contaminants such as copper and lead in the soil, said Amy Roth, Fox Valley Park District spokeswoman.

Construction crews haven't been working on the park since September, when the green-tinted soil was first discovered.

The district recently got the results of the contaminant study back and will have further tests done, looking at different areas and depths to see the extent of the contamination, Roth said.

"It's going to be a lengthy process just to see what we're dealing with," she said.

If the contaminants need to be removed, the project will need approval from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

The project will also include resurfacing the parking lot and adding community space.

The new $125,000 playground along the Fox River could have been open by spring if everything went as scheduled, Roth said.

Instead the park likely won't be completed until later next year.

The current playground equipment has been at the site since 1990.

The spot for the new playground is not the same as the older playground, so children weren't playing in that spot, Roth said.

The contamination likely came from a foundry in the area more than 100 years ago.