Burbank Airport Settles Groundwater Pollution Lawsuit

BURBANK (AP) — The operators of Bob Hope Airport in Burbank have settled a lawsuit against the Lockheed Martin Corp. by agreeing to contribute $2 million to a multimillion dollar effort to clean up groundwater pollution at the airport.

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport authority announced the settlement with the global aerospace, defense and security company on Tuesday.

The authority had long maintained it did not contribute to water pollution under the airport, contending that the pollution occurred decades ago when Lockheed owned the facility. Last July, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named the authority a potentially responsible party and ordered it to contribute to the estimated $108 million cleanup cost.

Authority President Frank Quintero says reaching the settlement was "a pure business decision" considering the legal costs of fighting Lockheed and the EPA.

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