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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.

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                                <strong>“We took the precautionary step to shut down Halawa Shaft because of what we saw happening to the Navy’s water system and their water source just across the valley from us.”</strong>
                                <strong>Ernest Lau</strong>
                                <em>Manager and chief engineer, Board of Water Supply</em>
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

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CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Ernest Lau, Honolulu Board of Water Supply manager and chief engineer, spoke at a news conference Tuesday.
$1.2B claim filed over Red Hill leaks

On Oct. 28, BWS said, it filed its claim under the Federal Tort Claims Act over massive leaks of jet fuel that occurred at Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in 2021. Read more

DOD PHOTO BY U.S. MARINE CORPS CPL. GABRIELLE ZAGORSKI
                                Joint Task Force-Red Hill (JTF-RH) roving security and fire watch team members patrol the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF), Halawa, Hawaii, Aug. 29, 2023.
Service members sue government over Red Hill water crisis

Thousands of service members, military family members and local civilians in former military housing areas who were exposed reported a series of ailments from rashes, digestive issues and other medical problems. Read more

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                The Empire State tanker ship is seen at Pearl Harbor. The vessel is part of the defueling operation of the Red Hill fuel facility, which began Monday.
Over 16 million gallons of fuel drained from Red Hill

In its first week of draining the massive fuel tanks at the Navy’s underground Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, the military task force responsible for defueling said it had safely removed 16,299,594 gallons from the facility as of 2 p.m. Friday. Read more

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
                                Members of Naval Supply Systems Command connected a fuel line Monday to the merchant tanker Empire State at Pearl Harbor.
Red Hill defueling operation officially underway

On Monday morning Joint Task Force Red Hill, the military organization responsible for draining the tanks at the Navy’s underground Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, officially began the defueling process. Read more

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Members of the U.S. military and other officials at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-­Hickam attended a blessing for the safe and expeditious draining of the Navy’s Red Hill fuel storage facility. The ceremony Saturday morning was led by Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu and Kahu Kordell Kekoa.
Leaders gather for blessing for Red Hill defueling

The ceremony, led by prominent Hawaiian cultural practitioner Kumu Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu and clergyman Kahu Kordell Kekoa, sought to show solidarity and hope that the complicated operation — which is set to conclude by late January — proceeds safely and smoothly. Read more

U.S. ARMY PHOTO
                                A quality assurance representative with Joint Task Force-Red Hill inspected a sample of fuel during dewatering at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Halawa in April. Dewatering, which removes water from the fuel storage tanks, is a critical step prior to defueling and is essential to prevent corrosion and protect fuel quality.
Hawaii Health Department approves Red Hill defueling plan

The state Department of Health announced Tuesday that it has conditionally approved the military’s plan to defuel the main tanks of the Navy’s underground Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility beginning Monday. Read more


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