The Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection will join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the cleanup of a significant arsenic site in Ohio County.
The Messenger-Inquirer reports the contamination was discovered in 2014 about six miles south of Daviess County. Since then, the EPA has been handling the investigation and planning the cleanup.
Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet spokesman John Mura says the state was called after arsenic was found on nearby properties.
EPA investigators believe the arsenic had been stored in containers inside a barn that burned down, releasing the arsenic into the ground. The EPA says exposure to arsenic can cause cancer, and high levels can be deadly.
Ohio County Judge-Executive David Johnson says he heard from a KDEP official that the reclamation process will begin in the summer. The cost of the project is unknown.
