Diesel fuel at levels more than double the state Department of Health’s limits for drinking water were reported by the Navy on Wednesday in water samples collected at its Aiea-Halawa shaft.
The shaft is the second to be shut down by the Navy since military and nonmilitary water users in the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam area reported smelling a strong odor of fuel from their tap water, and many reported falling ill, according to a DOH news release issued Wednesday evening. The Navy earlier shut down its Red Hill shaft.
The Navy’s Halawa water supply has been offline since Friday. The Health Department said the contaminated sample from the Aiea-Halawa shaft was drawn on Sunday.
The Navy’s Halawa shaft and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply’s Halawa shaft are separated by about 1-1/2 miles.
The BWS shut down two wells Wednesday after being informed that the Navy had reported the high fuel levels.
“Immediately after being alerted, the BWS took precautionary measures and shut down their Aiea Well and Halawa Well,” the city agency said in a news release. Last week, BWS shut down one of their primary sources, the Halawa shaft, after being informed of contamination at the Navy’s Red Hill shaft.
“This situation is not acceptable and our system to our residents is now being put under more stress,” said BWS Manager and Chief Engineer Ernest Lau. “I am deeply troubled and we have requested all pumpage and test data from the Department of Health on the Red Hill shaft and the Aiea-Halawa shaft. We need to have this data in order to make solid and informed decisions regarding our system so we can continue to service our customers.”
BWS said it took samples earlier this week from the Aiea and Halawa wells and sent them to a mainland test lab. Results are expected late next week. Test results for the Halawa shaft are still on track to be available to the public by the end of this week, officials said.
Regarding the Navy’s report of diesel fuel detection, Kathleen Ho, deputy director for DOH Environmental Health, said in a news release: “The level of this contaminant poses a public health threat, and is considered unsafe to drink.” She continued, “This news is concerning — especially as the cause of the petroleum release into the Navy’s water system remains unknown. We will continue to take all possible action to protect public health and the environment.”
A level of 920 parts per billion of total petroleum hydrocarbons diesel range organics, or TPH-d, was reported by the Navy, according to the release. The DOH Environmental Action Level for TPH-d is 400 parts per billion. That is the threshold below which no human health effects are expected.
DOH staff will test water today from the Navy’s Halawa shaft. The agency recommends all Navy water system users stop using the water for drinking, cooking, oral hygiene and satiating pets.
The state’s recommendation applies to all users of the Navy’s Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam water system, the Aliamanu Military Reservation, Red Hill and Nimitz elementary schools, and military housing, according to the release.
The Navy on Wednesday also announced suspension of all operations at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility and shut down a second water supply pending the outcome of an investigation by the U.S. Pacific Fleet into how petroleum contaminated the drinking water at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and surrounding communities.
No timetable for the inquiry was provided and the Navy did not respond to questions about the Hawaii congressional delegation’s request for a Department of Defense inspector general investigation into the Navy’s handling of Red Hill fuel storage and pipeline operations.
On Monday, Gov. David Ige issued an emergency proclamation ordering the Navy to suspend operations at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, clean up contaminated drinking water at its Red Hill shaft, develop a plan to drain the fuel from its 20 underground tanks and figure out what needs to be done to safely operate the facility and pipeline operations.
The Navy indicated on Tuesday it intends to contest the order.
“The order by the Hawaii Department of Health has been received by the Department of the Navy and is currently under legal review. We will comply with all lawful orders,” said Navy Capt. Jereal E. Dorsey, in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro is working to establish a federal inter-agency working group to assist with Navy efforts to care for personnel and their families. The working group would be tasked with remedying root causes of the incident, implementing improvements and taking actions to ensure safe drinking water and safe operation of the facility, Dorsey said.
In a statement to the Star-Advertiser, Ho said: “While we appreciate the Navy’s voluntary pause in operations, this does not affect DOH’s emergency order. DOH’s emergency order provides clear parameters to pause operations, treat contaminated drinking water and safely de-fuel the Red Hill underground storage tanks.”
Further, she said, “DOH’s order also ensures that this framework remains in place until an independent assessment can ensure that appropriate actions are taken to protect human health and the environment.”
Del Toro declined Star-Advertiser requests for an interview Wednesday. Rear Adm. Timothy J. Kott, commander of Navy Region Hawaii, did not respond to Star-Advertiser requests for an interview.
“The safety, health and well-being of our service members, civilians, contractors, their families and our communities here on Oahu is of the utmost importance to me,” said Del Toro, in a news release. “This is not acceptable and the Department of the Navy will take every action to identify and remedy this issue. We will continue to coordinate with federal, state and local entities to restore safe drinking water to the community.”
Del Toro’s order includes continued isolation of the Navy’s Red Hill and Halawa water wells until the water distribution main and all affected homes and buildings have been flushed, isolated, tested and supplied with water that meets U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards, according to the release.
The Navy said it will continue to work with federal, state and county governments and Native Hawaiian organizations to respond to the Red Hill crisis.
“Our people will always be our first priority. Their safety is paramount,” Del Toro said. “We are aiming for a new normal: One where this never happens again. The department is determined and committed to making the necessary changes. We can and will take care of our people, while also preserving and protecting our national security interests in the Pacific and at home.”
The Navy is researching the acquisition of a drinking water treatment system. Within 30 days, a qualified, independent third party will be brought in to “assess operations and system integrity” of Red Hill and “identify possible operational and design deficiencies and develop a recommended work plan and schedule to correct those issues,” according to the release.
Following that assessment, the Navy “will approve a final work plan and implementation schedule and will expeditiously perform work and make necessary changes in operations,” wrote Del Toro, in a memo to Navy Region Hawaii personnel. “The health and well-being of our service members, civilians, their families, and our surrounding communities is of utmost importance to me, and I want to ensure we continue the coordinated response.”
At a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing Wednesday for Joint Chiefs of Staff vice chairman nominee Adm. Christopher Grady, Hawaii U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono said all options are on the table to ensure the Navy keeps the drinking water safe. The Hawaii Democrat said the Navy must evaluate the viability of the facility and consider options to move the fuel to another location in the interest of protecting an aquifer situated 100 feet below the tanks.
“There have been ongoing issues with leaks at Red Hill since 2014 and a series of recent preventable accidents have led to the contamination of the Navy’s water system and put the community at risk,” Hirono told Grady.
“This is not just a short-term matter to resolve the drinking water problem. But a long-term question about the department’s plans for strategic fuel storage. The Department of Defense needs to provide answers to the citizens of Hawaii.”
She asked for Grady’s commitment that he would make Red Hill a top priority. In response, Grady said, “The safety of our citizens, our Navy families, our military families is of the highest importance.” He pledged, if confirmed, to work with colleagues to ensure the safety of those affected and to address the “logistics implications going forward.”
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Star-Advertiser reporter Kevin Knodell contributed to this report.
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