Honolulu residents place a high priority on protecting drinking water aquifers from pollution, according to the results of an annual survey conducted by the city.

When asked how important it is to protect aquifers by establishing programs, rules and directives to regulate contamination, 79% said it was “essential” and 18% said “very important.”

The question was given the highest level of importance among the 31 custom questions asked of residents in the 2022 Honolulu Community Livability Report by the Office of the City Auditor, which was released last week.

Honolulu was among 600 cities taking part in the National Community Survey, which is administered annually by the Colorado­-based National Research Center Inc. along with the International City/County Management Association.

The response on aquifers mirrored 2022’s results and isn’t surprising considering it comes on the heels of the Red Hill water contamination crisis, which blew up in late 2021 with military families in and around Joint Base Pearl Harbor­-Hickam complaining that their tap water smelled of fuel and reporting skin rashes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and headaches.

Documented fuel leaks in the past and the possibility of additional leaks from the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility continue to threaten an aquifer that serves some 450,000 Honolulu residents and tourists.

When the same survey was released in 2020, only 59% called the need to protect Honolulu’s drinking water from potential Navy fuel storage tank leaks “essential,” while 31% said it was “very important.”

City Auditor Arushi Kumar said other results from this year’s survey indicate:

>> There is continued concern about safety-related issues relating to violent and property crimes.

Only 4 in 10 respondents gave favorable responses to the overall feeling of safety in Honolulu, a rating that was appreciably lower than in other cities of similar size.

While about three-­quarters of residents felt “very safe” or “somewhat safe” in their neighborhoods during the day, only about half felt the same in the downtown area.

In addition, fewer than half reported feeling “very safe” or “somewhat safe” from violent crime (46%) and property crime (40%). Those were appreciably lower percentages than those given cities of similar size, according to the survey.

>> Honolulu residents continue to support initiatives to improve and maintain the community’s natural environment, with 9 in 10 residents identifying them as an “essential” or “very important” for the community in the next two years.

About three-quarters said it was “essential” or “very important” to focus on a climate adaption strategy to assess and address climate change impacts.

And about 7 in 10 residents indicated their support for more planting and caring of trees across Oahu as well as efforts to increase the ability for residents to grow their own food.

>> Improved ethics, accountability and transparency in government is also a high priority, with 72% calling them “essential” and 28% responding “very important.”