Base Cleanup Estimated at $300 Million
The Air Force has spent $177 million to clean up environmental hazards at the former Castle Air Force Base and expects to spend an additional $127 million before the job is finished.
The money would not cover the cleanup costs if radioactive materials are found at the former Strategic Air Command base. The military confirmed this week that it had kept nuclear weapons at Castle, and said radioactive waste associated with those weapons might be buried on site.
The Environmental Protection Agency declared Castle a Superfund site because of the amount of pollution dumped during the base’s 54-year history.
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