New London ― The Connecticut Port Authority said Friday it is working with State Pier contractor Kiewit to remedy what appears to be substandard soil used on a portion of the newly-constructed offshore wind facility.

The remedy for the problem, the cost to fix it and who might pay remains in question.

The problem was discovered by routine soil testing of the 100-foot long section at the south end of the pier where fill was used to expand its size. The area was once two piers.

The soil contains excessive silty material and is not in compliance with the port authority’s contract with Kiewit, said Paul Whitescarver, chairman of the board of directors of the Connecticut Port Authority.

The issue was first made public during the CPA’s Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday after board member John Johnson asked whether capital expenditures were completed. The state and Danish company Ørsted have jointly contributed to the $310 million cost of upgrading the pier to accommodate the massive offshore wind components.

Whitescarver, who said the area where the soil problem was discovered was unusable, said he thought the remedy would be covered by Kiewitt.

“The excessive silty soil negatively affects the load capacity of this area, which is designed to be a transport corridor for terminal operations,” Whitescarver said in a statement. “The CPA is working closely with its designer, contractors and partners to establish an acceptable remediation plan.”

A spokesperson from Kiewit was not immediately available for comment but has said the section of the pier in question represents less than .5% of the total project. Whitescarver said the CPA is working with Kiewit on a solution.

Despite the problem, Whitescarver said operations at State Pier remain unaffected. The pier is loaded with parts ― wind turbine blades, nacelles and towers ― that are bound for the waters off Rhode Island as part of Orsted’s Revolution Wind project.

Whitescarver said the area in question is not intended for component storage and never was intended to have the kind of load capacity that the two heavy lift platforms have.

“The bottom line is there is no change in operations at the pier and no disruption in operations,” Whitescarver said.

News of more problems at State Pier, however, prompted a statement from state legislators already frustrated by the project’s spiraling costs.

Republican senator Heather Somers of Groton, Henri Martin and Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding issued a statement on Friday.

“It seems like every time the tide comes in, it brings with it another controversy for the Port Authority. Now we have this latest revelation. The south portion of the pier is not stable enough for wind component storage use because of the type of fill that was used,” the statement reads.

“There is finger-pointing between the Port Authority and construction management company Kiewit on who is responsible. Meanwhile, the costs paid by the Connecticut taxpayer continue to rise. The price tag is already north of $310 million at this unfinished site, which we now learn has potentially dangerous and costly structural deficiencies.”

The senators called for “full transparency” and urged the port authority to answer questions from the public.

“The taxpayers of Connecticut deserve nothing less,” the statement reads.

g.smith@theday.com