Approximately 103,458,180 gallons of fuel, or 99.5%, of the fuel previously stored at Red Hill, has been safely removed, officials said.
Joint Task Force-Red Hill said in a news release that removal of fuel from the “tank mains” had been completed at the Navy’s underground Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, draining the storage tanks to the 7-foot level.
JTF-RH reported that it is ahead of schedule in draining the tanks, and has started discussions with the Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Health to “possibly accelerate the gravity defueling timeline.”
The next stage in defueling, expected to begin Dec. 4, is removing the remaining usable fuel in the “flowable tank bottoms,” which refers to the liquid fuel in the last seven feet of the tanks, the task force said.
Draining the massive fuel tanks, which sit 100 feet above a critical aquifer most of Honolulu relies on for drinking water, began in October.
The move to defuel the tanks was prompted by a November 2021 incident at Red Hill in which jet fuel leaked into the Navy’s water system, which serves 93,000 people on Oahu, including military families and civilians in former military housing areas.
Crafts & Food Expo returns after 3 years of cancellations
After three years of forced cancellations, the Islandwide Crafts & Food Expo returns next weekend.
The 34th Islandwide Crafts & Food Expo relaunches on Black Friday at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall.
The craft and food fair will feature 200 vendor booths offering island handcrafts and local food. Entertainment includes an appearance by Melveen Leed at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Several Hawaii nonprofit and community organizations have been provided with free Kokua Corner booths to sell local crafts or food, or provide activities or services for keiki or adults.
A friendly competition among vendors for booth decorations, staff attire, customer engagement and overall visual presentation will add to the holiday shopping experience.
Hours are 4-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. General admission is $8, $6 for military with ID and seniors 65 and over; 12 and younger will be admitted free.
