The headlines used to say “flirting with disaster,” but now Hawaii is facing a full-on pollution and health threat that has been worried about and directly predicted for years — pollution-causing leaks linked to the 20 gigantic military fuel tanks constructed under Red Hill.

The tanks are huge — taller than Aloha Tower — and they are old, built during World War II. And now the threat they pose to Oahu’s drinking water supply is imminent.

At one time, the military tank farm was top secret: It was built to protect fuel needed to power America’s military forces in war.

Now, in large part thanks to alarms raised by Ernest Lau, Honolulu Board of Water Supply manager and chief engineer, the tanks are both public and a serious cause of concern.

Lau was named to run Honolulu’s water board in January 2012, after serving on state water agencies and seven years running the Kauai water department as manager and chief engineer.

What is remarkable about his tour as a manager for several government agencies is that he has been willing to take a stand and go up against the Navy in its foot-dragging acceptance of the danger posed by its fuel storage system. This, as the state Health Department dropped more than $300,000 in fines against the Navy for fuel storage violations.

As Lau explained during a recent public hearing, the Board of Water Supply wants the Navy to take measures now to ensure its 20 tanks in Red Hill do not leak fuel into the underground water supply just 100 feet below.

“Right now, their water is safe, but ask me, is it gonna be safe 20 years from now, 30, 40, 50 years from now? I can’t give that guarantee at this point,” said Lau.

Worries have turned into a crisis with some 200 reports of fuel oil fumes coming from the water running from the taps in homes around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

Hawaii’s U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele is a National Guard and Hawaiian Airlines pilot. Last week he testified during a congressional hearing about the catastrophic water contamination.

“The Navy’s water system is contaminated with petroleum,” Kahele said during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee.

“People are getting sick. Animals are getting sick. And our military families need answers and the island of Oahu needs answers,” he said.

It is reassuring that Hawaii’s representatives are up on the crisis — but it’s equally disturbing that as of press time late last week, Gov. David Ige and Mayor Rick Blangiardi have been out of the dialogue. Meanwhile, winning the “bureaucrat of the year” award is the water board’s Lau, who for years has publicly warned about the dangers of the military tank farm.

University of Hawaii’s Colin Moore, chairman of the UH school of communications and Public Policy Center director, said Lau is precisely the sort of government official Hawaii needs.

“You need people in these positions, like Ernie Lau, who have the expertise and experience to protect the public’s interest, even when it means questioning the decisions of powerful interests like the United States Navy,” Moore said in an interview.

“Lau is a bureaucrat, but he’s also a professional engineer. State officials who have strong professional identities are more likely to be outspoken.”

As of press time, there was speculation that Carlos Del Toro, secretary of the Navy who is coming to Hawaii for the 80th National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day for the attack on Pearl Harbor and the island of Oahu on Dec. 7, 1941, will address the fuel leak issue.

It is time that military officials match the candor and competence shown by local managers like Lau.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.