A low-level radioactive waste disposal site near Morehead is in its final closure stage.
The Independent reports Gov. Steve Beshear helped shovel the first load of dirt onto part of the permanent protective cap at the Maxey Flats landfill Monday morning.
According to officials with the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection, the landfill, which holds about 4.7 million cubic feet of radioactive waste, has been designated a Superfund site by the federal government.
The site was purchased by the state in 1978. Earlier this year, a meeting was held to inform the public about the final capping stage.
Full construction of the permanent cap is expected to be completed by November 2016.
After the closure, state and federal agencies plan to spend 100 years monitoring and maintaining the facility.