Panel discussion on Red Hill water crisis offers new questions ― but few answers

In a panel discussion Thursday in Waikiki, key stakeholders in the Red Hill fuel spill crisis raised new questions about the extent of the contamination.
Published: Jul. 21, 2022 at 5:34 PM HST|Updated: Jul. 21, 2022 at 6:14 PM HST
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - In a panel discussion Thursday in Waikiki, key stakeholders in the Red Hill fuel spill crisis raised new questions about the extent of the contamination and whether Oahu’s drinking water has been irreparably harmed.

Last year’s spills at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage facility released about 5,000 gallons of jet fuel into the Navy’s water system

But since the complex was built in 1940, there have been more than 70 leaks ― many a potential threat to Oahu’s drinking water.

“There have been roughly 200,000 gallons spilled in different field transfers since this facility was been built and we know that fuel is looming somewhere,” said Naalehu Anthony, moderator for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s panel on the Red Hill crisis.

[Special Section: Navy Water Crisis]

Major stakeholders ― environmentalist, regulators, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply and the Navy ― locked horns during the the panel discussion at the Sheraton Waikiki hotel.

While the Navy vowed to be more transparent, the BWS and the state Health Department raised new questions about the extent of the contamination and whether Oahu’s drinking water has been irreparably harmed.

“I fear our previous ground water aquifer, our wai, is contaminated and we don’t know how much and where it is moving,” said Ernest Lau, the BWS’s chief engineer.

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“We don’t know the full extent of the problem of this facility over it’s 79-year history because the information has not been shared.”

Lack of transparency and the potential for further spills is one of several reason the state Health Department is rejecting the Navy’s two-year timetable for shutting down the facility.

“We need to get actions not in years but in months. We need to have this thing done,” said Kathleen Ho, Deputy Director for the DOH.

Rear Admiral Stephen Barnett, who recently took over as commander of Navy Region Hawaii, promised to regain the trust of the local community.

“Make no mistake about it, we’re going to get it right,” he said.

I understand we need to be transparent ... I look forward to sharing data and to sharing discussions. "

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