EPA and DOH Reject Navy Plan on Red Hill Leaks
EPA and DOH Reject Navy Plan on Red Hill LeaksHonolulu Board of Water Supply Concerns ValidatedHONOLULU, Hawaiʻi (October 3, 2016) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Hawaiʻi Department of Health issued a letter rejecting the U.S. Navy's proposed work plan for addressing leaks from their Bulk Fuel Storage Facility at Red Hill on Oʻahu.EPA and DOH officials described the work plan as "critical for bounding the risk to drinking water resources from past and potential future releases" at the Red Hill facility. The massive fuel storage facility is 100 feet above the groundwater aquifer serving 600,000 residents and visitors. The EPA and DOH gave the Navy 30 days to correct 11 inadequacies in the plan, including:
- inadequate network of monitoring wells
- inadequate modeling of groundwater flows and contaminant migration
- inadequate compilation of historic leak data
The Sierra Club applauds the EPA and DOH for standing up for the safety of the public's drinking water supply."The Sierra Club, Honolulu Board of Water Supply, and state and county elected officials have long-raised concerns about the Navy's approach to Red Hill not protecting our drinking water supply," said Marti Townsend, Director for the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi. "We are so grateful that the EPA and DOH took a hard look at the Navy's proposal took action to ensure the Navy does more to meet our expectations for the Red Hill fuel tanks and the protection of our water supply in the future.""This is just the first step, though. A lot more must be done to ensure our drinking water is fully protected," Townsend added. Specifically, the Sierra Club is calling for:
- sufficient sentinel monitoring wells to guard drinking water sources
- double lining of all the tanks in use at Red Hill
- clean up of already released fuel
"The basic expectation is the Navy's fuel will never leak," Townsend said. "If the Navy cannot guarantee their tanks will not leak again, and clean up the fuel that has already leaked, then these tanks should be retired and the fuel stored in modern facilities elsewhere.""Why are we assuming this is the only option for storing fuel?" Townsend asked. "There is no evidence that the Navy constructed the Red Hill fuel tanks in 1943 with the intent that the tanks would be in operation forever. In fact, the evidence indicates the opposite be true."The Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility is located 100 feet above Oʻahu's most heavily used groundwater supply. The facility is comprised of 20 underground tanks with the capacity to hold 12.5 million gallons of fuel each; 15 tanks are currently in use. Historic naval records reveal that as much as 200,000 gallons of fuel has leaked from the facility since it was built in 1943. The latest recorded leak occurred in January 2014, when 27,000 gallons of jet fuel leaked from tank 5. Data from naval monitoring wells indicate the increasing presence of fuel contaminants in the groundwater near the fuel tanks.The Board of Water Supply stresses that Honolulu's water supply is currently safe to drink.A public meeting on the Red Hill fuel tanks is scheduled for Thursday October 6, 2016 at 6PM at Moanalua Middle School (1289 Mahiole Street, 96819). Link to EPA/DOH rejection letterLink to historic reports of leaks at Red Hill###