U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, says more money from Washington is on the way to help clean up radioactive waste in the St. Louis area.
“The (U.S.) Army Corps of Engineers has just announced that ($40.5 million in) new money is coming for that cleanup,” he announced in a video clip.
Schmitt said the health of many people has been harmed over the decades by radioactive waste that found its way into Coldwater Creek.
“Having grown up in North (St. Louis) County, this has been a sore spot,” he said. “There’s been some work done on it, but this is a new infusion of money and resources for that very important cleanup project in North County.”
The waste came from atomic bomb production during World War Two and was stored in drums at nearby St. Louis Lambert International Airport. Over time, radioactive materials leaked and found their way into the creek.
Radioactive waste was also dumped at West Lake Landfill near Bridgeton. Cleanup efforts are underway there as well.
Meanwhile, the so-called “One Big Beautiful” budget bill passed earlier this year revived the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) for two years. In its current form, it provides a one-time payment of $50,000 to radiation exposure victims and a $25,000 payment to survivors of victims who died from cancer and other illnesses caused by exposure.
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