Emotions are running high and many questions remain unanswered as the Department of Defense-ordered cleanup and closure of the Navy’s accident-plagued underground fuel facility at Red Hill continues. The Navy, but also the state’s Department of Health (DOH) and federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), now must take responsibility for addressing the fear, anger and confusion that swirls.
The Navy has been called on to swiftly defuel Red Hill’s underground tanks, and the admiral leading that project has begun making the rounds to answer questions publicly about that task. The DOH and EPA must now step up their public involvement, assuring worried residents with robust dialogue and communication that they are acting to protect people from exposure to toxics at Red Hill and to provide remedies for exposure that has occurred.
Tensions have been raised by yet another calamitous spill at Red Hill on Nov. 29, of at least 1,300 gallons of the fire-suppressing aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) into the ground nearby. The AFFF contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, known as PFAS or more hauntingly as “forever chemicals,” which do not degrade in the environment and can accumulate in humans and animals, causing negative health and environmental effects.
On the Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” webcast Monday, Navy Vice Adm. John Wade, who is charged with supervising the Red Hill facility’s defueling, acknowledged the hazardous nature of the chemicals released, and also admitted that the Navy messed up by failing to follow meticulous safety procedures in testing the fire suppression tank. He committed to public release of a security video that recorded the spill, which the Navy at first withheld — but while the DOH has seen the video, it has yet to be openly released.
Later that day, a Board of Water Supply (BWS) hearing on Red Hill was attended by Wade and other Navy officials in person, and by DOH and EPA representatives via livestream. Unfortunately, many who had questions about health and environmental exposure were disappointed and frustrated when DOH and EPA officials only appeared virtually, and then left the meeting after making presentations, without making time to answer questions.
That was a misstep by the DOH and EPA. Oahu residents who continue to fear having been exposed to contaminated drinking water or being potentially exposed to PFAS rightly look to the DOH for answers. And the EPA, a partner in oversight of the cleanup, must be prepared to provide information about environmental remediation.
Residents’ fears are justified, and providing face-to-face dialogue and answers to residents’ questions is the most effective — and humane — way to address them.
For example, valid concerns persist that the Navy discarded water samples collected after the fuel spill a year ago contaminated residents’ drinking water. Those attending Monday’s BWS hearing were right to expect answers to questions about this from the DOH, as well as the Navy.
When headlines blared that PFAS had been detected previously in Oahu’s water, many got the impression of a cover-up — so it is pertinent that the EPA should note that at the time of the original testing, PFAS at the level found were not considered hazardous.
A promised health clinic to serve those exposed to toxics because of Red Hill spills is another crucial service that must be swiftly activated. Wade said the clinic is expected to open early in 2023 — but that is unacceptably slow, considering that it’s been more than a year since the disastrous contamination of drinking water in homes around Red Hill. Islanders should be able to count on the DOH to press the Navy on this and other matters.
As the cleanups continue — of both the jet-fuel and AFFF spills — pressure will grow for all entities responsible for remedies to be transparent, competent and cooperative, while acting urgently. In-person face time, with questions to and answers from officials in charge, is part of what’s required.
