The history of the civilian-military relationship in Hawaii is long and complex.
The economic impact of the military is undeniable, and during many natural disasters, a close collaboration with the Department of Defense — assistance after hurricanes, to name one example — has been crucial to recovery. The National Guard has pitched in with efforts to cope with the pandemic, to name another.
There have been clashes, to be sure, but on the whole, it’s been a question of give and take, of finding the right balance.
The last two weeks have drawn a stark line of demarcation showing the limits of that give and take, the precarious nature of that balance. A Nov. 20 leak at an underground fuel storage tank farm, from its water suppression system, is now suspected as the source of contamination that fouled the drinking water from the Navy’s Red Hill Shaft.
Bottom line: The continued operation of the Navy’s subterranean fuel storage facility is insupportable. Giving over control of the safety of Oahu’s drinking water throws the balance off-kilter — especially with the breach of trust that has become evident in this case.
It doesn’t help that there’s been confusion over a second source, the Halawa Shaft: The Navy first said it was tainted and then, hours later, reversed course.
For all these reasons, the proposal by U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz should be adopted: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should indeed be the lead agency in data collection and analysis in this crisis, in addition to the public communication duties that the Navy has badly mishandled. The Navy is too invested in maintaining control to provide the independent perspective that the public needs.
Further, the Navy should adhere to Gov. David Ige’s emergency order, setting a timeline for corrective action, rather than contest it as military officials have vowed to do.
The fact that a clear identification of the cause — let alone any correction — has been so slow in coming casts serious doubt on the Navy’s commitment to keeping public water safe, or its competence to continue running the aging complex that is the core issue here.
That would be the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, an underground network of 20 fuel tanks that the Navy built beneath Red Hill during World War II. The biggest mishap came to light in 2014, when about 27,000 gallons of fuel leaked out of Tank 5.
Here’s the fear factor: The tanks sit just 100 feet above the aquifer that serves roughly 400,000 customers of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. Already, the water board has shut down two of its own water shafts to avoid adding pressure that could draw contamination from the Navy’s Red Hill shaft.
Unfortunately for families living in military housing in the greater Pearl Harbor and Hickam areas, and schools also attended by civilian children, the fear has become real.
Late last month residents there began complaining of fuel smells from their tap water, swiftly followed by reports of illness from numerous residents. The Red Hill Shaft from which those facilities draw their water was found to be contaminated with JP5, a jet fuel.
On Friday, the state Department of Health issued results from samples it had taken from that same shaft showing that it contained diesel fuel 350 times above what the state has set as safe levels.
That same day, Ernie Lau, the water board’s chief engineer, said on the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” webcast that his agency’s nearby wells could remain closed for the long term, with eventual water restrictions imposed.
At a legislative informational briefing held later Friday, Navy officials said the “likely” source of the contamination was a Nov. 20 spill of jet fuel in an access tunnel of the storage facility.
That is not sufficiently specific. There must be a clearer assessment of how the fuel got into the water, how much was leaked, and whether contamination has ceased.
Additionally, this was only the latest episode; the Navy had not relayed data on earlier incidents in a timely manner, despite pressing by local officials. Samples taken at the same well in July, August and September also showed petroleum contamination that, in some cases, exceeded safe levels.
In the aftermath of the major 2014 spill, the Navy joined in a memorandum of understanding with the state Health Department and the EPA to craft a solution to the fuel storage facility problems.
Even so, the Navy has not been forthcoming with these agencies, which it describes as “partners.” State health officials said they have struggled to get the Navy to share its findings. Finally, on Nov. 24, the Navy finally turned over four months of test results and then, four days later, quietly shut down its Red Hill Shaft.
How long would Navy officials have kept a lid on the potential dangers, if the smell, tap-water sheen and health complaints had not revealed them? It’s scary that many people are asking such questions.
“Their actions are not consistent with their words,” Lau told the Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight.”
That much is clear. And it can’t be tolerated any further.
