WEATHERFORD, Okla. (AP) — The mayor of a western Oklahoma town says sandy residue from a plant that filters arsenic from water has been cleared from a park and taken to a transfer station for disposal.
Weatherford Mayor Mike Brown said Friday he first learned of the residue from the Weatherford Daily News, which received a tip from a city employee that sludge containing arsenic had been dumped near Rader Park.
Brown says the plant's operator told him 4 inches of sand that built up in a filter tank about a month ago was taken to a sand pit in the park. He says it was a mistake, but when employees did it, they weren't thinking it might be hazardous.
The Department of Environmental Quality says it is looking into the matter.