[Would a good partner pollute the ground water and then be vague as to their culpability?]

If you are referring to the landfill site at Ault Field, that does not impact Coupeville and was started back in the WWII era when environmental regs were not very strong.  Pollution impacts were across the board,  Cities, Counties, Farms, and, yes, military.  NAS Whidbey has spent millions of dollars in cleanup.