Water Commission stands by state’s order for Navy to drain Red Hill fuel facility
- Protect Our Aquifer HI
- Jan 8, 2022
- 1 min read
Hawaii News Now By HNN Staff
Published: Jan. 8, 2022 at 11:38 AM HST|Updated: 5 hours ago
Huge fuel storage tanks at Red Hill have been a community concern for years. (Image: Navy)
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Following an hours-long briefing on Friday, the Water Commission said it stands by state’s order for the Navy to immediately suspend operations and drain fuel from the Red Hill facility.
Commission Chair Suzanne Case said the situation has been concerning for years, and with the 2021 fuel leaks into the U.S. Navy’s water system serving Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, “it’s an important and serious situation.”
The state Commission on Water Resource Management is responsible for the protection and sustainable use of groundwater and surface water resources in Hawaii, including water quantity and quality.
Officials said underground aquifers provide virtually all drinking water on Oahu, and there’s great concern that petroleum products from the Navy’s Red Hill Fuel Storage Facility and associated lines could contaminate underground water supplies on the island.
Amid the ongoing water crisis affecting thousands of military families, Case said the next stage is to pump water from the shaft and “to make sure no fuel-contaminated water moves west.”
She said the commission is working with the Navy to make sure flushing water is not only safe for military housing residents but also to ensure water does not harm fish and birds in streams and wetlands.
The commission also approved the establishment of a Permitted Interaction Group of up to three commissioners who will be appointed by the chairperson.
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