Alcoa, Reynolds Metals Strike Deal for St. Lawrence Cleanup

The U.S. government, New York state and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe have reached a $19.4-million settlement with Pittsburgh-based Alcoa Inc. and Richmond, Va.-based Reynolds Metals Co. to mitigate the St. Lawrence River pollution that has accumulated since the 1950s. A total of $18.5 million of the March 27 settlement will be combined with $1.8 million in restoration funds from a 2011 General Motors bankruptcy settlement to pay for the ecological restoration of the St. Lawrence River area. Planned projects include restoration and enhancement of wetlands, stream banks and grasslands and acquisition of unique habitat under threat of development. Federal officials say the firms released PCBs, PAHs, aluminum, fluoride and cyanide into the river.