It remains unknown exactly what American military activities took place for close to 40 years at Kindley Air Force Base, but one thing is no secret: huge question marks hung over the state of the land handed back to Bermuda 12 years ago.

The condition of the site — as well as another US base at Southampton Naval Annex, now known as Morgan’s Point — formed major discussions between the two countries’ Governments.

At one stage it was estimated it would cost anything up to $65 million to clean up materials such as asbestos, hazardous waste including paint, batteries and oil, PCB chemicals, underground storage tanks and solid wastes.

That figure was later downplayed, but some have argued the $11 million eventually paid by the US to Bermuda in compensation was never enough.

When the land, which the US had occupied since 1948, was given back to Bermuda in 1995, toxicology specialists Cantox of Canada and environmental contractor RT Environmental Services of Pennsylvannia were brought in to carry out studies.

They drilled more than 2,000 holes and took samples from both bases before filing reports to the US Navy, which had been responsible for the sites in the latter years of the American occupation.

The Department of Environmental Protection Hydrogeologist in Bermuda says thorough investigations were carried out at all known dump sites and potential sources of leaks.

It says if dumping of pesticides such as Agent Orange had been observed or reported at the time, this would have been taken into account during the investigation.

Over the past 12 years, Bermuda Land Development Company has spent millions of dollars on environmental remediation work at the former Baselands.

One of the biggest talking points has been the presence of more than 500,000 gallons of viscous oil and sludge which seeped into Bassett’s cave at Morgan’s Point, and an adjacent Jet Fuel Plume comprising 55,000 gallons of fuel.

United Bermuda Party MP Grant Gibbons, who was Management and Technology Minister in the mid 1990s, said Government should have held out for more cash from the US.

“We were so upset when the PLP settled for $11 million, which was only the cost of repairing Longbird Bridge,” said Dr. Gibbons.

“Efforts to get the US Navy to clean up the mess they have left us with never resolved satisfactorily.”