State radiation monitoring could start up soon in Georgia communities near a former nuclear weapons complex.

The U.S. Department of Energy already funds independent radiation testing in communities around the Savannah River Site, but now it wants to give Georgia officials money to do more testing.

The State Department of Natural Resources would use the funds to test Georgia communities near the SRS, which sits 20 miles downstream from Augusta in south Carolina

The 300-acre Cold War-era complex once churned out materials to build nuclear bombs.

A 2006 federal report found that between the 1950's and the 1990's nearby residents’ exposure to radiation was about 2.5 times higher than that of the average American.

Those levels were still considered small by the federal government.

Work ceased at the site in 1992, but its clean up continues.

Tags: Georgia, Augusta, Rickey Bevington, South Carolina, nuclear, Department of Natural Resources, All Things Considered, Savannah River Site, radiation