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Floyd County To Pay For Removal Of Toxic Coal Ash

A southern Indiana county that set aside 15,000 tons of coal ash for road projects must pay $50,000 to clean up ash contaminated with heavy metals and chemicals.

The Courier Journal reports that coal ash must be cleaned up at Floyd County's Georgetown work yards and at a Harrison County farm.

Former Floyd County highway superintendent Ron Quakenbush says the county was told to get rid of a coal ash stockpile because black residue washed off the pile and into a creek during rains.

Federal regulators imposed stricter safety rules in recent years for ash ponds at coal-fired power plants and at landfills, which must be lined to accept the waste.