The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a new cleanup plan for a portion of Stratford that has been impacted by toxic waste from the former Raymark Industries plant.

Cancer-causing agents, lead and asbestos lay below Shore Road in Stratford and officials have proposed a plan to dredge out the toxins.

Raybestos manufactured auto parts from 1919-1989 in Stratford, dumping its toxic waste into soil and groundwater.

Remediation has been ongoing since the 1990s with the total cost as of today estimated at more than $140 million.

A roughly $11.2 million proposal to remediate a 40-acre piece of land along Shore Road and the Housatonic Boat Club is one of the latest projects.

“There’s contamination near the surface. We want to make sure that it's protective, that it's separated from the people, and we're going to try to also raise the shoreline and add some shoreline resilience,” said Tony Allevo, an environmental analyst with Connecticut DEEP.

The EPA has identified nine operative units where cancer-causing agents, lead and asbestos were dumped in Stratford soil and groundwater. Shore Road is operative unit five, meaning there is more work to be done.

“This was one of the largest sites in the New England office. One criticism we often hear is, ‘How come these things take so long?’ They take so long because they're complicated. You want to do it right, you want to do them safely with collaboration,” EPA project manager Jim DiLorenzo said.

In a report, the EPA mentions potential risks with air quality, floodplain impacts and truck traffic, but officials say safeguards are in place.

“They have haul roads that are designed just to drive on so they never touch waste. We don't want to bring waste onto the road. We don't bring dust anywhere. They hose the trucks off when needed. They keep the sites wet so that there is no dust, and they monitor the air constantly. Whenever there's active work going, we always have monitors going,” said Allevo.

The proposal is a 30-plus-year project with a fully-funded cost of $140 million. With everyday impacting residents, which is why officials want to hear from them.

Residents have until Sept. 8 to submit a public comment here. There will be a public hearing on Sept. 6 and a community involvement meeting on Sept. 27.