How did the Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Happen?

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, vinyl chloride and benzene, which are all known volatile organic compounds (VOCs), began infiltrating the water in August 1953. A dry cleaner next to the Tarawa Terrace water treatment plant at Camp Lejeune started disposing of the hazardous waste directly into the ground. Soon after, the Camp Lejeune Hadnot Point water treatment plant’s water supply was contaminated due to leaky underground storage areas and spills. 

In some areas, the chemicals were at levels 400 times greater than what safety standards allow, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Wells in both the contaminated systems were closed from November 1984 to May 1985. The entire Tarawa Terrace water-treatment plant was shuttered in 1987. In 1989, the camp was listed as an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund site. The agency oversees the cleanup of some of the nation’s most contaminated land.

Filing a Camp Lejeune Claim

The CLJA provides a two-year window for military personnel, civilians, or their representatives to file Camp Lejeune claims.