Contamination at the former US Naval base Morgan's Point is nowhere near as bad as that found in an independent report in 1997, Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield said on Friday.

And she said Government tests of water supplies in the area had revealed no threat to public health.

The J. A. Jones report in 1997 indicated 60 percent of 134 fuel tanks at Morgan's Point in Southampton had been leaking significant amounts of petroleum into the soil.

In answers to Shadow Environment Minister Cole Simons, Ms Butterfield said her department did not have a copy of the report.

She said it was commissioned by the Land Development Transition Office and finished in 1997. She said she "presumed" Bermuda Land Development Company and/or the Ministry of Works and Engineering and Housing had the report.

"I presume the Shadow Minister has seen a copy of the report to be in a position to quote the figures," said Ms Butterfield on Friday.

"However, not having seen the report, I can say that the figures he has quoted are a gross exaggeration of the situation to be found at Mogan's Point."

She deflected a question from Mr. Simons about what was being done to deal with the "toxicity issues and potential dangers related to the contaminated soil and groundwater at Morgan's Point".

Ms Butterfield said it was a matter for the Ministry of Works and Engineering and Housing.

But she added: "The threat of contamination to the Port Royal Lens has never been serious and there has never been a threat to public health.

"Water from the lens is treated by reverse osmosis to remove any contaminants. Monitoring the quality of raw water from Government wells has been conducted by the Ministries of Environment and Works and Engineering and Housing.

"No evidence of contamination, or a threat of contamination, of the lens has been found. The closest private domestic wells (not used for drinking water) have been tested and also found not to be contaminated."

Ms Butterfield said 45 test monitoring wells have been drilled at Morgan's Point, including five new wells drilled in May 2004.

"In 2003, Bermuda Water Consultants was employed by the Department of Environment Protection to investigate the current size and location of the hydrocarbon 'plume'.

"Thirty-two of the wells in the vicinity of the plume were checked. There has been no evidence of the migration of the plume to areas where humans might be exposed.

"The Ministry is satisfied that the current monitoring programme is sufficient to detect any possible contamination of the Port Royal lens."