The price tag for moving Red Hill’s underground fuel tanks could run up to $10 billion, according to the Navy, a jaw-dropping figure. But those aging tanks sit above an aquifer that supplies three-quarters of Oahu’s water, and that resource is priceless.
Developments over the last several days indicate that priceless is simply the bottom line, and those tanks will have to go, even if it is a lengthy, costly prospect.
Quick take on the facts: Since World War II, the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility has housed 20 underground tanks, each able to hold 12.5 million gallons of fuel to serve the needs of Joint Base Pearl Harbor- Hickam. The tank farm is 100 feet below ground and just 100 feet above the Southern Oahu Basal Aquifer.
The tanks have leaked to some degree for decades, but a spill of 27,000 gallons of fuel in 2014 brought them under increased scrutiny. This has intensified recently with news of further leaks, including the May 6 release of 1,618 gallons of jet fuel at Red Hill. As the wrangling continues over how best to resolve competing needs, the Navy is seeking a five-year permit from the state for continued operation of the facility.
Quick take on the latest exchange of words and concerns:
>> On Tuesday, Hawaii’s congressional delegation called on Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro to answer questions about the Navy’s response to the most recent leaks. By Dec. 3 they want to know how the spills were investigated and cleaned up, and whether there was a deliberate delay in notifying the public. The congressional team followed up the next day with a letter to the inspector general of the Department of Defense seeking an independent investigation.
>> On Monday, the Wai Ola Alliance issued a 90-day notice of its intention to file a federal lawsuit aimed at forcing the Navy to accelerate repairs at Red Hill, which the community group says is operating in a manner of “imminent and substantial endangerment.”
>> Six days before that, the state Department of Health fined the Navy $325,182 for safety violations uncovered during an inspection last year of the Red Hill facility, citing failures to maintain and test its tanks and pipes.
>> A week before that, state lawmakers weighed in, seeking a Navy investigation into whether information about a January pipeline failure outside Red Hill was purposely withheld for three months, because the five-year permit was under review.
>> And earlier in October, a hearing officer recommended that the state grant the Navy’s permit request, but only with the institution of more stringent repair and inspection requirements. “The risk of potential pollution of the Red Hill potable water aquifer is real,” arbitrator Lou Chang wrote.
The Navy’s position is that the underground facility is critical to national security and that it is already investing more than $750 million in improvements to bolster the system without moving it from Red Hill. The May spill was blamed on “operator error,” not infrastructure.
At issue is what constitutes the best long-term solution to store the fuel needed to power the ships and jets at Pearl Harbor, plus protect the aquifer.
This week’s words from Hawaii’s congressional delegation intensify the discussion. Even in the cautionary language of Washington, their language was pointed: “These recent incidents, including the manner in which the Navy has responded to them and its lack of transparency with the public, raise questions about the seriousness with which the Navy takes its responsibility to communicate clearly with the public about matters concerning health and safety. The people of Hawaii deserve better from the Navy.”
Their involvement could be the big stick needed to deal with those tanks once and for all, especially since it could fall to Congress to secure that jaw-dropping $10 billion.
