The Navy has awarded a contract to Hawaii-based Nakupuna Cos. to seek out and consider “all ideas received from the community” on how to repurpose the underground Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, including its mammoth tanks.

The World War II-era tanks currently hold roughly 104 million gallons of fuel that must be removed, and it’s feared they could leak into and contaminate Oahu’s water. After spilled fuel leaked into a Red Hill water well in November 2021, contaminating a Navy water supply, the Pentagon announced in March that it would defuel and permanently shut down the facility. Military officials are now exploring ways to possibly reuse it for a different purpose.