San Diego sues over bay cleanup

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- The city of San Diego has sued the U.S. Navy, the port and private companies over cleanup of San Diego Bay, the mayor's office said.

The lawsuit filed in federal court, first reported in San Diego CityBeat, has more than a dozen defendants. City officials said the aim is to minimize the cost to local taxpayers of removing contaminated sediment from the bottom of the bay, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

The price tag has been estimated at $100 million.

"This is just sort of another step that the city needs to take to protect its interests and the taxpayers' interests," said Alex Roth, a spokesman for Mayor Jerry Sanders. "We want to make absolutely sure that the people who were responsible pay their fair share."

The San Diego Regional Water Quality Board ordered the cleanup in 2005. A revised plan for the work is scheduled to be released by the end of the month, the newspaper said.