Kansas City, Mo. ? Lawyers for Salina have begun working toward a financial settlement with the federal government that would allow the Kansas city to take over the cleanup of contamination at a former Air Force base.

Salina acquired the former Schilling Air Force Base when it closed in 1965. Salina officials, the Salina Airport Authority, the Salina school district and Kansas State University-Salina filed a federal lawsuit in Kansas City, Kan., in 2010 to recoup the cost of cleaning up pollution. The cleanup had previously been the jurisdiction of the federal government.

Much of the pollution consists of TCE, or trichloroethylene, which was used as an industrial solvent and was classified last year as a human carcinogen. The plaintiffs contend that the federal government should pay for the cleanup because the chemicals came from the Air Force operation at the site. In their lawsuit, Salina officials said the TCE and other compounds have “migrated into the soils” under residential areas near the site.

A joint status report filed Friday in the case said the parties have agreed in principle and have signed nonbinding proposed settlement papers.

Tim Rogers, executive director of the Salina Airport Authority, said Monday that settlement negotiations are now under way and the sides have been working toward a consent decree, which would resolve the long-running case.