A major leak from the 225 million gallons of fuel stored at Red Hill would be catastrophic for Hawaii. The Naval Supply Systems Command has identified the facility as “high risk.” The Navy Audit Service concluded that “the age of the facility presents a future risk of a moderate to a large release of fuel to the underlying groundwater.” This is a ticking time bomb.

Contamination of the aquifer that serves Honolulu from Moanalua to Hawaii Kai would mean the end of Hawaii as we know it. The result would be irreparable damage to the environment and to public health, as well as de-population and a permanently shrunken economy.

Waikiki, the economic engine of the state, and most of Honolulu would become uninhabitable except at extreme cost. The Navy’s own studies indicate a cleanup could take decades or be cost-prohibitive.

There is obviously only one sensible thing to do: Shut it down.

Paul Arinaga

St. Louis Heights

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