U.S. Marine Corps officials received warnings of tainted drinking wells at Camp Lejeune, N.C., four years before closing them, documents indicate.

Citing a review of Marine Corps documents, the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported Friday that USMC officials began receiving warnings of industrial solvents in the base's drinking water in 1980 but sent out misleading information to service members, regulators and the public before eventually closing the wells in 1984.

The newspaper said the Marines failed to inform regulators about storage tanks that were leaking 1,500 gallons of fuel per month, and its claim that it had to verify the contamination's source before closing the wells is contradicted by a report showing that confirmation came in 1982 -- two years before wells were shut.

Advocates claim as many as 1 million people may have been exposed to tainted water at Camp Lejeune during a 30-year period ending in 1987.

"The Marine Corps has worked, is working, and will continue to work with those agencies who are seeking to find the answers that our Marines and our families deserve," Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Brian Block told the newspaper.