I am from that area., I grew up in Portsmouth, Ohio. I remember thinking you get me to swim in that river if you paid me......we used to run down to Ashland to go shopping and my senior year in HS that is where we went so no one in town would know we were skipping school.
Interesting question about the water....the Ohio river is disgusting.
If you don't mind me asking, what part of Kentucky are you from? The reason I ask is that for the first half of my pregnancy with Lauren, we lived in Ashland. Otherwise known as Gotham City because of all the oil refineries. I even recall getting a letter in the mail regarding the fact that our drinking water (from the Ohio river) failed several safety levels. I wish to God that I was able to find that letter and see what it was.
At the time, my oldest daughter was still on formula and I remember buying bottled water for her bottles as a safety precaution but didn't even think twice about me being pregnant.
This haunts me to this day. I just wish that the government would finally step up to the plate and do the right thing.