While Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina is by far the most relevant and noteworthy case of contaminated water, it’s not the only instance of this occurring. 

Sadly, the United States military provided troops and their family members with contaminated groundwater for decades, all while knowing the water itself was contaminated and that people were being exposed.  

It’s suspected that many generations of military members have not only developed serious medical conditions but have also lost their lives due to contaminated groundwater poisoning. 

Here’s some more information about each major contaminated groundwater situation:  

• Camp Lejeune: 

For decades, service members and their families drank and bathed in contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. For decades, contaminants such as dry-cleaning agents and fuel were leaking into this water supply. The consensus is that military officials knew this was taking place and did not express that knowledge to those living and working at Camp Lejeune.  

• Anniston Army Depot: 

Located in Bynum, Alabama, the Anniston Army Depot was where the United States military stored ammunitions, chemicals, fuel, and other toxic compounds for years. It was uncovered that many of these substances also leaked into the groundwater and that some water was used by troops and their families. Some of what was found in the groundwater at Anniston was Agent Orange, Agent Blue, and Mustard Gas. 

• Camp Pendleton: 

Camp Pendleton is a Marine Corp training facility in California. The groundwater and soil are so polluted that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has considered this location to be what they call a “Superfund Clean Up Site.” In other words, it’s incredibly likely that the military members and their families who worked and lived there were drinking heavily polluted water that led to horrific medical conditions.