Gansler weighs crackdown on marine dumping

The state's top law-enforcement official came to the West and Rhode rivers yesterday and was a little surprised at what he found: not many big polluters to go after.

Instead, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler learned how old septic systems and careless boaters are fouling south county waterways, inspiring a possible crackdown on dumping marine waste.

Gansler said he was "appalled, shocked and outraged" to learn that boaters still are dumping marine heads (or toilets) into the bay, even though it's illegal and sends harmful bacteria and nutrients into the water.

"This is something that we can...