Army officials say water from its system that serves Tripler Army Medical Center and surrounding homes is safe after E. coli was found in a well that serves it, but are also urging those using the system to discard “all ice, beverages, formula and uncooked food products made with tap water collected on or before Dec. 19, 2024.”
In a statement, U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii said that it “continues to provide safe drinking water to Tripler Army Medical Center and nearby housing areas after shutting down Well #2 due to the detection of E. coli bacteria. The medical center and housing areas have been served only by Well #1 since December 20, 2024, when the Hawaii State Department of Health notified U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii of the detection.”
According to the Army’s statement, a routine drinking water sample in the distribution system at Tripler’s Public Water System No. 346 taken Dec. 16 tested positive for total coliform bacteria. The result prompted the collection of additional water samples for further testing to confirm the presence of E. coli.
A sample collected at Tripler’s Water Well #2 on Dec. 19 tested positive for E. coli bacteria. The Army said it received those results Dec. 20, as the E. coli test currently in use takes 18 hours to process. But the Army also said water was determined to have been safe to drink Dec. 16-18 on grounds that the water had been disinfected, and no traces of E. coli bacteria were found in the distribution system itself.
The Army said the sample “was taken at the water well source before the water chlorination treatment station, however all water samples taken after the chlorination treatment station within the distribution system have resulted with negative detection of E. coli since Dec. 16, 2024. As a result of the positive E. coli sample taken from Water Well #2, subsequent samples were collected on December 20, 2024, from the water wells and throughout the distribution system. Results from that December 20, 2024, sampling event were negative for E. coli.”
The Army says that at present water across the Tripler installation, including the hospital and on-base housing, barracks and the IHG Hotel, remain safe to drink and that “operations and patient care at Tripler Army Medical Center remain unaffected.”
Tripler will continue to use only Well #1 until Well #2 no longer tests positive for E. coli. The Army and DOH are investigating how the bacteria entered Well #2. The presence of E. coli could indicate that the water was contaminated with human or animal wastes. The bacterium has been known to cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms in those who consume it.
