JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Signs in the Lonnie C. Miller Park on the Northwest side of town warn of soil contamination. It's a park Ronnie Calhoun and his friends hit every day.

"We come and walk," he said.

He explained for the past eight or nine years, they've seen these warning signs. You can't miss them. You see the first one when you enter the park. There's one by a playground, a picnic area and a sand volleyball court. They all advise, as a precaution, to wash your hands after contact with the soil.

Oliver Brown is wondering why all the signs are present, but not a lot of work seems to be done to fix the problem. 

"They're not doing the job they said they were going to do," he said.

We spoke with Joe Alfano of the Environmental Protection Agency.  He said they are cleaning up the site. Incinerator ash on this site caused the contamination.

He said the problem is behind a nearby fence where people are not allowed, not in the areas where people enjoy the park. 

He explained the city just has those signs up as an extra warning.  And there's a reason he said for the long-clean up period. 

"We had to do the investigations first, and since there are three sites, we just had to take a lot of soil samples over the last several years," Alfano said.

But these men still have concerns, wondering if there could be a long term impact.

"I do not drink any water from here. We have our own water we bring with us," Calhoun said

The EPA said they should have the area cleaned up within two years. Part of the plan is to cover the contaminated areas with two feet of clean fill. And a water park the city plans to build is expected to be in this area.

First Coast News