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Gold Star Memorial Bridge, view from Recycling Plant | Fall 2022
NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE NEW LONDON
SUPERFUND SITE
Entry 003
Survey Start: October 2022
Location: New London, Connecticut
SUPERFUND-PROJECT.COM
CERCLA PHOTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTATION
Superfund Landscapes & Environmental Remediation
YouTube Video
In this video, we discuss the Thames River contamination zones and how remediation
is more closely related to healing than a designation of guidelines.
published on January 18, 2026
Field Notes & Writing
Preliminary Survey
January 11, 2026 (no time logs documented)
Follow Up Survey
May 1, 2026
The fog is dense. Its a perfect setting for an early morning shoot in New London. The Superfund Site is actually up the river about a mile at the Naval Base.
You can assume my access to a government facility is limited. The part of this project I am most excited about is being able to shoot the areas of impact -
sometimes on the outskirts, the people and landscape, the businesses and wildlife. Its all interconnected. I know the Department of Environmental Protection
want to created delineating lines. It doesn't take long to understand the pollution in one area can impact another. Its like highway traffic. Someone slows down
in the fast lane, the cars directly behind them ease on the brakes, just behind those cars, others are starting to see the red tail lights and begin slamming on
their brakes, the chain of events stretches miles. Tires start screeching, cars begin to swerve to avoid a collision. That's kinda like what contamination is like.
I'm under the Gold Star Bridge. Its huge. It connects Groton to New London spanning just over a mile long. There's inlets along the boat launch area - I'm going
to start there.
Just got back to my car - I shot 3 rolls in the first two hours. I even got a portrait of a union worker on a boat monitoring the bay. I forgot his name but I gave him
my YouTube name and asked him to reach out to me. Hopefully he will and I can send him the photo. It was the first real environmental portrait I've taken since
I bought this camera. It was a lot easier than I imagined.
The Amtrak keeps passing by every 30 minutes. Its hard to tell when its coming because of all the highway noise but the fog and still water offer some quick
advantages. If my timing is right - I'll post up near the water in the next 10 minutes and wait for the train to pass by.
no further notes recorded
(7:22 AM) This area is poised for redevelopment. You can feel it - there is so much industry but there are gaps filled with overgrown brush, trash and homeless camps.
Even some of the businesses around the Gold Start Bridge were relatively quiet 10 years ago. You see now a busy recycling plant, distributors and a wind turbine
facility. As of now, I want to photograph the change.
(7:48 AM) It didn't take long to find out documenting the change will be more difficult than I first envisioned. The roads are all closed off - restricted areas now.
Town crews have giant machines clearing the brush, ripping up the land.. its a beautiful sight but almost impossible to shoot.
(8:05 AM) I've hit road block after road block. I am going to go across the bridge to Groton. See if I can photograph the General Dynamics building from the street.
(8:30 AM) Not often do I take notes while I wait to make a composition but this one called for it. There's a Vespa scooter parked in a lone parking lot above the street.
It over-looks the distressed metal building where they make nuclear submarines. There is a little white house just after the parking lot. Its a fantastic little scene.
My lens is all fogged up though. The humidity and rain are making things challenging today.
(10:15 AM) Back in the car now and I'm wrapping up to go home. I saw a sign out front that said 'No photography or video: punishable by espionage law'. I can't
imagine their property is on the street or sidewalks. I don't know if I acted on treason. Can anyone garner any real top secret information from street level? If so, is
it really the fault of a photographer? This is the type of stuff that makes me cautious. It makes me think that the website and all these notes and photographs will be
read back to me in a civil court case one day.
(3:45 PM) For the record, I am not a spy.