SEATTLE (AP) — The Suquamish Tribe and two environmental groups are suing the U.S. Navy, saying it sent harmful pollutants into Puget Sound when it cleaned a decommissioned aircraft carrier near Bremerton.

The mothballed 60,000-ton USS Independence was cleaned in waters near Bremerton, Washington, before it was towed to Brownsville, Texas, this month to be dismantled.

The tribe, Washington Environmental Council and Puget Soundkeeper Alliance say the Navy violated federal clean-water laws by not obtaining a permit for the discharge.

They say want to ensure that other decommissioned ships at Naval Base Kitsap are not cleaned in a similar way in the future.

A Navy spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The complaint was filed Wednesday in federal court in Tacoma.

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