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$20M Settlement for St. Lawrence River Pollution

Federal and state officials and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe say a settlement with Alcoa Inc. for pollution since the 1950s provides nearly $20 million for environmental restoration along the St. Lawrence River in northern New York and for Mohawk health and cultural programs.

The settlement in federal court includes $7.3 million for grasslands, wetlands and fisheries; $1 million for buying 460 acres for state protection; $8.4 million for tribal outdoor education, horticulture, medicine healing, nutrition and language programs; and almost $2 million for boat launches on the Grasse and Raquette rivers.

Authorities say the Massena factories of Alcoa Inc. and Reynolds Metals Co., now part of Alcoa, released substances like aluminum fluoride for decades, damaging the environment and the Akwesasne reservation.

Updated:
An Alcoa spokeswoman says the releases were in the past and aren't ongoing.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.