(HNN) Navy spending $6 million on filtration system to clean up tainted water

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Hawaii News Now

By Rick Daysog

Published: Dec. 19, 2021 at 5:53 PM HST|Updated: Dec. 20, 2021 at 3:14 PM HST

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Navy will spend $6 million to lease at least 25 industrial-scale water filter systems to clean up its fuel contaminated water.

The first seven of the filters have already been installed and will begin operating on Monday.

“As I said no cost was spared, no effort not made,” said Lt. Commander John Daly.

The Navy said the filtration system will first be used to scrub its water distribution system and its large holding tanks.

The treated water -- which the Navy says will be free of chemical pollutants -- will be released onto wide grassy areas, the sewer system and into select storm drains -- under agreements reached with the state, the City and County of Honolulu and the EPA.

Water System Flushing Zone Map(_)

The Navy said it will next flush the water from the faucets and appliances in contaminated homes. The flushing will be conducted in a neighborhood by neighborhood in a process that will take 30 to 45 days, the Navy said.

Military and civilian families who were relocated to Waikiki will likely remain in their hotels during the flushing period.

Flushing began Monday in the Pearl City Peninsula military housing, Red Hill and Aliamanu Military Reservation housing. Officials said it is expected to take one day. The Navy said it would then start flushing by the Navy Exchange, which would take a little longer.

“You’re pushing a lot of water through a system at a faster rate than we normally pump water through, so essentially, cleaning out the piping,” said Navy Capt. Miguel Dieguez, public works officer at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. “Folks in those neighborhoods can expect ... they may see some variations in their water pressure, while the flushing’s going on.”

He added that residents might notice sediments or minerals deposited, which may result in the water turning brown or white. He advised not to wash light-colored clothing during the process.

“The end product is not just homes but we also have churches. We have businesses, restaurants -- all kinds of people connected to our water system,” said Daly. Last week, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply said it was skeptical that the Navy can scrub all of its pipes and waterlines of the fuel because petroleum doesn’t dissolve in water and tends to stick to the pipes.

But the Navy said it is confident its plan will work.

“We got some experience to lean on that demonstrates that this can be done through flushing,” said Daly.

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