After two years and thousands of trips by dump truck from Ford to Trapp, East Kentucky Power officials have finished removing coal ash from Dale Station.

Clark County Judge-Executive Henry Branham shared the news during the twice-a-year community meeting with residents of Ford and the Kentucky River corridor Tuesday evening.

Branham said he was notified of the completion by EKPC External Affairs Manager Nick Comer, who usually attended the community meetings.

“(Comer) told me to express his appreciation to everyone in the area,” Branham said to the dozen in attendance.

Beginning in 2015, EKPC began removing 560,000 tons of ash, which was generated by Dale Station, a coal-fired power plant along the Kentucky River. The ash was removed from three ponds on the property and trucked to a dry landfill at the cooperative’s Smith Station property in Trapp.

Dale Station closed in 2016 and no plans for the property have been announced.

“It’s gone,” Branham said of the ash. “It’s off the river. They’ve done a decent job of reclamation.”

Branham said the county’s application for the state to build a new public boat ramp along the Kentucky River was turned down again.

“I think this is the fourth year and we had Senator (Ralph) Alvarado pushing for us,” Branham said.

Other topics of discussion included repairing shoulders on state roads and maintenance and improvements at Capt. Billy Bush Park on Athens Boonesboro Road.