More funding is coming to help clean up Coldwater Creek.
In a press release, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ St. Louis District said that it would be spending $40.5 million toward accelerating “remediation activities at the St. Louis Airport Site Vicinity Properties (SLAPS VPs), which includes Coldwater Creek, and the St. Louis Downtown Site (SLDS).”
“Protecting the health of our communities remains our top priority. This funding allows our team to continue the disciplined, science-based remediation work that residents expect and deserve. We will keep the public informed every step of the way as we move this project forward,” said Col. Andy Pannier, district engineer and commander of the Army Corps of Engineers’ St. Louis District, in a statement.
Before the Army Corps of Engineers made its announcement, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley praised the decision on his X account.
“Finally. The Army Corps just confirmed to me that, at my request, they will commit an additional $40.5 million for cleanup of Coldwater Creek!” Hawley wrote. “Long overdue.”
Manhattan Project-era nuclear waste contaminated Coldwater Creek throughout parts of the 20th century, and numerous studies have found that people who either lived near or swam in the creek were more likely to contract diseases associated with nuclear waste exposure.
Earlier this summer, Harvard researchers released a study linking those who lived near Coldwater Creek in north St. Louis County to increased instances of cancer.
St. Louis Public Radio’s Kate Grumke contributed reporting to this article
