Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is the site of one of the worst water contamination cases in US history. The base was a frequent pollution spot where oil, industrial wastewater, and toxic chemicals used as degreasers and solvents were all knowingly dumped in the local storm drains between 1952 and 1987, contaminating the local water supply for 35 years.

The military base was labeled as a major polluter by the Environmental Protection Agency. Reports from 1980 discuss how buried fuel tanks could leak and taint the drinking water of the area. Only in 1982 was the water being tested and proper disposal techniques were outlined in 1984. However, the damage was already done, and everyone on base and in the surrounding area was exposed.