Regulators this week are expected to order a massive cleanup of San Diego Bay, where lead, arsenic and other pollutants have built up over decades.
U-T San Diego says the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board is expected to rule Wednesday on a plan to remove 143,000 cubic yards of polluted sediment.
Scientists say the pollutants are harming the marine ecosystem and endangering those who eat fish and shellfish from the bay.
Dredging could start in September and take five years.
It would be the largest cleanup of its kind in the bay and could cost $70 million. Companies, the Navy, San Diego city and others that contributed to the pollution are expected to pay for the work.