EPA OK's sub base plan to scrub contaminated site

GROTON, Conn. (AP) — Federal environmental regulators have accepted a plan by the Navy to clean up a contaminated 102-acre site at the submarine base in Groton.

The area, which is laced with PCBs, heavy metals and other remnants of ship-maintenance operations, is in Groton and Ledyard.. The area is on the list of federal Superfund sites.

Under the plan, the Navy will dispose of 1,780 cubic yards of soil contaminated with a type of atmospheric pollutant that can be carcinogenic and can lead to illness through long-term exposure.

The pollutants occur naturally in oil, coal and tar deposits and are byproducts of burning fossil and biomass fuels.

Officials also will dredge nearly 20,000 cubic yards of sediment from the Thames River.

The Environmental Protection Agency says the Navy also promised to clean up state-regulated petroleum waste sites.