Navy publishes preliminary water quality assessment report
The Navy last week released a new report on its preliminary plumbing assessment following multiple complaints of air and water quality issues from residents on its water system. Read more
Red Hill Water Crisis
Fuel from the Red Hill fuel facility leaked into the Red Hill water well, contaminating the Navy’s Oahu water system. Get the latest updates about cleanup.
Red Hill task force removes last ‘residual fuel’
After months of work, on Wednesday the military task force charged with removing the fuel from the Navy’s underground Red Hill storage facility announced it had extracted the last of the “accessible residual fuel” from the facility. Read more
Navy to extend testing of its water system
The Navy announced this week that it will continue monitoring its Oahu water system, which serves 93,000 people, for the next year after a surge in complaints about water and air quality in homes on the military waterline. Read more
Editorial: Navy still in hot seat over Red Hill
Over the past four months, defueling of the massive tanks at Red Hill has been a successful textbook operation — providing a rare bright spot in an otherwise dark period of water contamination caused by the Navy’s November 2021 fuel spill. Read more
Navy developing follow-up water monitoring plan
The Navy is working with the state Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency to develop an Extended Drinking Water Monitoring Plan, the Navy announced in a news release Wednesday. Read more
Board of Water Supply drills new well to monitor aquifer
The Board of Water Supply began drilling a new monitoring well in Halawa Valley this week that will help determine how much contamination there is in the aquifer from the Red Hill fuel leak. Read more
Navy water system sees increase in tap water, air quality complaints
Residents are reporting a visible sheen on the water, a strong odor and chemical taste in the water, migraines, nausea, skin rashes, and eye irritation from vapors, among other symptoms. Read more
Redistribution of Red Hill fuel sparks controversy in Philippines
Just before Christmas, commanders hailed the departure of the Yosemite Trader — a commercial ship carrying the last shipment of “usable” fuel from Red Hill — as it sailed from Pearl Harbor bound for Subic Bay. Read more
Federal officials are no-shows at Red Hill community meeting
Federal officials were absent when members of the Red Hill Community Representation Initiative met Thursday at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for an update from the military and the Environmental Protection Agency on ongoing efforts to close the Red Hill fuel storage facility and water testing on the Navy waterline. Read more
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Military begins removal of ‘residual’ fuel at Red Hill
The military began removing “residual” fuel from the Navy’s underground Red Hill Fuel Farm on Monday, marking the beginning of the next phase of the facility’s closure. Read more
Board of Water Supply rejects $75M offer to reopen Halawa Shaft
Following the massive leaks of jet fuel at the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in 2021, a $75-million offer to the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to restart a major fresh water source for Oahu residents has been rejected. Read more
Column: EPA report should spur Navy to replace water heaters
In the Navy’s response to the recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report on its drinking water system, Rear Adm. Stephen Barnett said, “My team has worked with the EPA and numerous stakeholders to sample and test these homes so all our residents can be assured their water remains safe and clean”. Read more
Editorial: Chemical traces in water require new action
New Environment Protection Agency (EPA) findings confirm that the Navy has failed to adequately protect households on its own water system from continued exposure to toxic jet fuel from the underground Red Hill storage facility. Read more
Column: Red Hill remediation misses items
Last November’s Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative (WAI) report, signed by state and city leaders, promises a long-term commitment to the water security of Oahu and future generations of island residents. Read more
Military fuel supplies could be targets in a Pacific conflict
As the defueling of the Red Hill fuel facility enters its final stages and the Navy prepares for a long cleanup and closure process, the U.S. military is looking at how it will support its vast Indo-Pacific operations without it. Read more
Fuel found in some homes on Navy water system, new EPA report finds
The Navy waterline serves 93,000 people, including service members, military families and local civilians living in former military housing areas. Read more
Last tanker of Red Hill fuel departs
The Yosemite Trader sailed out to the Pacific bound for the Philippines — one of several locations the military has been using to redistribute the more than 104 million gallons of fuel that sat in tanks just 100 feet above a critical aquifer. Read more
‘Every last drop’ of fuel will be removed, Red Hill commander says
In a video released Wednesday, the military officer charged with defueling the Navy’s underground Red Hill fuel facility pledged that “every last drop will be removed.” Read more
State, feds offer $75M to reopen Halawa Shaft
The Halawa Shaft, one of Oahu’s major sources of fresh drinking water, was permanently shut down following massive leaks of jet fuel at the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage in 2021. Read more
Focus on Red Hill is shifting to future after defueling
The Navy’s plan to permanently shutter the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility will soon involve a different entity: the Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill. Read more
Editorial: DoD has duty to fix years of fuel leaks
Two news stories breaking on Tuesday underscore, very concerningly, the uncertainty of chemical dangers that lurk below Hawaii’s picture-perfect environs. Read more
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