Hawaii Department of Health officials said today that they have given the Navy conditional approval to remove fuel from its three pipelines at Red Hill.

The Navy plans to begin draining the approximately 1 million gallons of fuel later this month.

The fuel has sat in the pipelines since operations at the facility were halted last year when fuel from Red Hill contaminated the Navy’s drinking water system.

Removing the fuel will allow the Navy to begin extensive pipeline repairs in preparation for safely draining about 100 million of gallons from its underground tanks and permanently closing the facility.

“The Department of Health is focused on ensuring the Navy defuels Red Hill safely,” Deputy Director of Environmental Health Kathleen Ho said in a news release. “DOH staff completed a careful review of the unpacking plan, observed spill response drills, and required additional environmental control measures be put into place before unpacking can begin. We continue to push for the defueling and closure of the Red Hill facility to happen as quickly as possible with safety as our first priority.”

The Navy still needs DOH approval of its overall repair and tank defueling plans.

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DOH’s conditional approval letter can be read here.