Thousands of school kids in Hawaii have been left without drinking water after fuel contaminated the Navy’s water system last month, and it’s not clear when they will be able to resume drinking out of the taps as the Navy works to clean its distribution lines.
The state Department of Education says that so far it has spent about $15,000 providing clean water to seven schools on the Navy’s water system for cooking and food preparation, hand washing and drinking.
As of Tuesday, 670 5-gallon containers and 144 3-gallon containers of purified water had been distributed, according to DOE spokeswoman Nanea Kalani. She said the military has supplemented that supply with large water buffalo tanks, hand-washing stations and bottled water.
“Schools are responsible for monitoring their water consumption and have been asked to conserve water,” Kalani said in response to emailed questions.
For weeks there has been confusion over what schools are actually on the Navy’s water system, which spans neighborhoods surrounding Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Lists provided by the state Department of Health, Navy and DOE differ.
DOE says it took it upon itself to figure out which schools were on the water system after its Office of Facilities and Operations was first notified Nov. 29 that schools were detecting a fuel-like odor from their tap water. Education officials say they deduced which schools were involved by looking at utility bills.
Among the schools are Red Hill Elementary, Pearl Harbor Elementary and Nimitz Elementary, all of which reported fuel odors from their water, as well as Pearl Harbor Kai Elementary, Hickam Elementary, Mokulele Elementary and Iroquois Point Elementary.
The Navy also says Aliamanu Elementary and Middle Schools, Montessori Center of Pearl Harbor, Holy Family Catholic Academy, Assets School, Kamaaina Kids, Navy Hale Keiki School and Iroquois Point Preschool are on its water system.
The Navy’s water contamination crisis, which is believed to be tied to the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, has affected approximately 93,000 people in the neighborhoods surrounding Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
The Navy says that it began receiving reports from water users of a chemical-like odor in their water on Nov. 28, though some residents have since said they believe the contamination may have begun within the week prior. Numerous residents living in military housing have complained of skin rashes, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and headaches, which are associated with drinking or contact with petroleum-contaminated water.
The Hawaii State Teachers Association says it is not aware of any teachers or students complaining of health effects that could have been associated with the water. But the Department of Health has advised all water users on the Navy’s system not to use the water for drinking, cooking or oral hygiene, and if a fuel odor is detected, the water should also not be used for bathing, dishwashing or laundry.
HSTA Vice President Logan Okita said assistance immediately poured into Nimitz Elementary School where she teaches. She said the school has received a constant supply of water from private donors, the military and DOE.
“It’s really smooth at Nimitz,” said Okita, crediting the school’s principal.
She said the majority of Nimitz students come from military families.
“We are providing them with a safe place that feels normal when their home lives aren’t normal right now,” she said. “We are able to provide that consistency for them.”
About 3,200 people have been displaced from their homes due to the water contamination and are largely being housed by the military in Waikiki hotels.
For Michele Sasaki, who teaches kindergarten at Hickam Elementary, the winter break, which for public schools started Friday, couldn’t come fast enough. She said it’s been cumbersome juggling the COVID-19 protocols, including hand-washing, when her young students can’t use the tap water.
Her students are primarily using baby wipes and hand sanitizer to wash their hands, Sasaki said. There are water stations outside her classroom, but she’s had to pump the water with her foot for each student, which can be time-consuming.
Sasaki estimates that about half of her students are commuting from hotels in Waikiki after being displaced from their homes due to the water contamination. She said other students’ families are making do, trying to find alternative places to shower or boiling bottled water on the stove for bathing.
She said it’s difficult not knowing how long it will be before they can again use the tap water. The students return to campus Jan. 4.
DOE said that it’s looking to state health officials for assurances on when the water at schools might be safe. But DOH didn’t respond to questions last week about whether it had a water-sampling plan for affected schools and what needs to happen before those schools get the OK to resume using tap water.
On Friday, officials from DOH, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Navy and Army announced they had established an Interagency Drinking Water System Team to make sure Navy water users have a “clear, coordinated source of information” as officials work to restore safe drinking water. As part of the effort to restore the water, they issued a drinking water sampling plan on Saturday.
The sampling plan doesn’t specifically focus on schools, but the Navy says it is working as quickly as possible to restore its entire water system to federal and state drinking water standards.
Navy Rear Adm. Blake Converse on Friday told reporters that officials will be flushing the water distribution system, community by community, and then flushing individual homes, schools and businesses. The sampling also includes testing water samples throughout the affected area for two years to make sure the water remains uncontaminated.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Michele Sasaki teaches at Nimitz Elementary. She is a teacher at Hickam Elementary.
