The Defense Department announced it “will safely defuel and close the Red Hill fuel storage facility in Oahu, Hawaii” four months after the state’s department of health was notified “water system users on O‘ahu reported fuel-like odors in tap water.” According to a December health department release, “further investigation revealed that drinking water tested positive for petroleum components.” The video above includes clips of Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby discussing the announcement at his daily briefing Monday.
“The Department of Defense remains committed to mitigating the impacts of the November incident on the environment, and to care for all affected people and families,” the Defense Department said in a fact sheet on Monday’s announcement. “We will restore safe drinking water to all affected residents and provide best-in-class sampling and testing to ensure the continued safety of drinking water.”
Nearly 6,000 people, mostly those living in military housing at or near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam were sickened. Common symptoms include nausea, headaches, rashes and other ailments. In addition, 4,000 military families were forced out of their homes and are in hotels.
“We are committed to providing care for our military families by addressing any health impacts from this incident and by using available authorities to provide assistance to address displacement from homes or damage to household goods,” the Pentagon said Monday.
The Navy hasn’t determined how petroleum got in the water. Officials are investigating a theory that jet fuel spilled from a ruptured pipe and somehow entered a fire suppression system drain pipe at the Hawaii fuel facility last May. They suspect fuel then leaked from the second pipe in November, sending it into the drinking water well.
A senior Defense Department official said once steps are taken to ensure the tanks can be safely emptied, defueling at the facility will begin. The fuel tanks at the facility can hold 250 million gallons of fuel, and they are at less than half capacity right now. The entire process is expected to take about a year. The official said it’s not yet clear what the final cost will be.
