Red Hill Crisis: Pentagon reports detail poor recordkeeping across Oahu fueling operations
On Thursday the Pentagon’s Inspector General office released long-awaited reports on the Navy’s fuel and water systems on Oahu. 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.
Notable items from the Pentagon investigations
Reports from the Pentagon’s Inspector General office on the Navy’s fuel and water systems on Oahu were released Thursday, with detailed timelines of the failures that led to spills from Red Hill. Here are some highlights from the reports. Read more
Toxic fire suppressant spills reviewed
The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General released a management advisory report Thursday detailing concerns about the Navy’s handling of spills involving thousands of gallons of aqueous film- forming foam concentrate — a toxic fire suppressant containing “forever chemicals” — at Red Hill from 2019 to 2022. Read more
Navy water system upgrade under intense scrutiny
The Navy is upgrading and renovating its Oahu water system that serves 93,000 island residents, having demolished an old water storage tank with a replacement currently under construction — and with more planned upgrades along the way. Read more
Star-Advertiser editorials on Red Hill crisis bring accolades
Honolulu Star-Advertiser editorial page editor Lucy Young-Oda won second- place honors in a national journalism contest for her editorials on the U.S. Navy’s response to the Red Hill water contamination crisis. Read more
Navy says EPA report that found low-level contamination proves water is ‘safe’
The inspection found small but detectable traces of petroleum and of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, dubbed PFAS. The report, which had several redactions, also detailed assorted maintenance problems and missing documents. Read more
BWS’ $1.2B Red Hill claim still under review
It’s been nearly a year since the Honolulu Board of Water Supply filed a $1.2 billion claim against the Navy to recover costs for its response to massive jet fuel leaks at the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in 2021. Read more
Editorial: Navy must conduct weekly water tests
Nearly 105 million gallons of military fuel stored 100 feet above a key aquifer have now been removed from Red Hill — good — but unfortunately, threat of serious contamination from residual toxins lingers. Read more
Council OKs resolution for more water testing
The Honolulu City Council adopted a resolution Wednesday urging the Navy and Department of Defense to immediately implement weekly testing of monitoring wells related to past fuel spills at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. Read more
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Council calls for more Red Hill water testing
Due to the massive 2021 fuel spills linked to the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, which sickened families, fears over further contamination of Oahu’s groundwater supply have prompted the Honolulu City Council to take greater action on the matter. Read more
Board of Water Supply detects chemical plume in Aiea wells
Testing by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply earlier this summer indicated that a plume of contaminants often associated with petroleum fuel recently passed through a pair of drinking wells in Aiea near the Navy’s underground Red Hill fuel storage facility. Read more
Red Hill community group is told it won’t be disbanded
The Red Hill Community Representation Initiative received an email Friday from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirming that the organization will not be disbanded, despite being notified in June about its potential dissolution in response to Navy complaints. Read more
EPA moves to disband Red Hill advisory board
The Environmental Protection Agency is making moves to disband the elected community advisory board it established as part of a federal consent decree regarding the closure of the Navy’s underground Red Hill fuel storage facility. Read more
Navy’s Red Hill tank ventilation rattles some residents
Some residents are nervous about potential health and enviromental risks as the ventilation plan moves forward. Read more
Hawaii Department of Health probe in February didn’t detect petroleum in water
A recent investigation by the state Department of Health into the Navy’s Oahu drinking water system found no petroleum or jet fuel compounds in drinking water samples collected in February but did not rule out the possibility of residual fuel in the system after fuel from the Navy’s Red Hill storage facility contaminated it in November 2021. Read more
Closing arguments made in Red Hill lawsuit trial
A lawsuit trial brought by families affected by the Red Hill water crisis against the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act saw both sides make their closing arguments Monday. Read more
Officer who oversaw Red Hill defueling to command Navy’s Third Fleet
Vice Adm. John Wade, former commander of the joint task force that oversaw removal of most of the fuel in the Navy’s Red Hill facility, has been officially nominated to take over the Navy’s 3rd Fleet in San Diego. Read more
Editorial: Red Hill trial must set firm precedent
Two-and-a-half years after the disastrous Red Hill fuel spill that contaminated the area’s water, people who were sickened then — and claim ongoing health problems even now — are in the midst of a landmark lawsuit trying to make the Navy pay. Read more
Federal witnesses defend Navy’s Red Hill response
Government witnesses are taking the stand this week to defend the Navy’s response to the Red Hill water crisis and sow doubts about the severity of the contamination as a federal mass tort lawsuit on behalf of affected families continues. Read more
Red Hill fuel spread through water quickly, expert testifies
Water system experts testified Tuesday on the second day of a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. government that tests may have missed contamination in the critical early days of the Red Hill fuel crisis. Read more
Federal attorneys defend government’s Red Hill response as first lawsuit opens
The trial involves the first 17 plaintiffs claiming medical, emotional and financial injuries from the contamination. Another roughly 7,500 plaintiffs have joined other lawsuits also seeking compensation. Read more
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