The area is 5 Wing Goose Bay, which has been in use since World War II. The air base is located about 120 miles from the Labrador coast, just south of the Goose River with the Churchill River to the north.

The community of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, which has a population of about 7,500, is nearby.

The Canadian air force operates the facility, but there are permanent attachments from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and other NATO members.

"Goose Bay was a very attractive training facility for these Air Forces in light of the high population concentration in their countries, as well as numerous laws preventing low-level flying," the base states on its Web site. "Many of the ranges surrounding 5 Wing Goose Bay are larger than some European countries."

The base has runways long enough that NASA has designated the area as an alternate emergency landing site for the space shuttle.

However, given the years of use and the fact that it is in a relatively remote area, most waste material generated on the property was disposed of on the property until the 1990s.

"This was commonplace and considered acceptable at the time. It is these waste disposal activities and miscellaneous releases of a variety of contaminants, combined with normal base operations over the last 60-plus years that are now manifested in the environmental contamination that is documented on the base," a news release said.

"Many of these issues are currently being addressed by the Department of National Defense through investigation, mitigation, and risk management activities within the Goose Bay Remediation Project."

Defense Minister Peter MacKay on Sunday announced the $258 million in cleanup funding through the 5 Wing Goose Bay Remediation Project. It was also said that a $3.9 million contract had been awarded to AMEC Earth and Environmental, a U.S. company with offices in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, to provide the Department of National Defense with consulting services regarding the program.

All remediation project work is to be competitively tendered thorough the Defense Construction Canada or Public Works and Government Services Canada, following the government's contracting policies.

The overall program is funded by the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan, which is coordinated by Environment Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat to provide funding to assess and remediate federal contaminated sites. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2020.

"This project allows the Department of National Defense to address contamination at 5 Wing Goose Bay and reduce potential risks," MacKay said. "This significant investment benefits the wing, contributes to the economic foundation of the community and mitigates risk to human health and the environment."

MacKay said plans call for an examination of all contaminated sites at the base to determine the environmental challenges before remediating the sites.

A release said contamination exists in soil, sediment, surface water, groundwater and biota, both on the main base and in the surrounding area. "Major hydrocarbon plumes" were linked to leaking tanks and pipelines along with "historical general management and containment practices."

Other contaminants include heavy metals, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

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