Legacies of Red Hill & Community Persistence for Inclusive Engagement
by Madison Owens, Red Hill Organizer, Rosalie Luo, Chapter Volunteer, and Wayne Tanaka, Chapter Director | Reading time: 7 minutes
Delve into the ongoing community efforts to achieve inclusive engagement amidst historical legacies. Explore recent updates, including insights from the Community Representation Initiative meeting and discussions on the environmental legacy of Red Hill.
Ernie Lau Presentation: “Red Hill, a Legacy of Colonialism”
Ernie Lau, the manager and chief engineer of the Board of Water Supply (BWS), imparted his incredible wisdom once again at a guest lecture at Kapiʻolani Community College on June 18th, hosted by Dr. Kelli Nakamura. Since the 2014 Red Hill fuel spill of 27,000 gallons, Lau and others at BWS have remained steadfast in their advocacy in protecting Hawaiʻi’s water resources and addressing the multiple contamination events that have taken place at the Red Hill facility.
From 2014 leak of nearly 30,000 gallons of JP-8 jet fuel, to the two 2021 spills in May and November that released and estimated 21,000 gallons of JP-5, to the November 2022 leak of 1,300 gallons of PFAS-containing aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) concentrate, Lau has heroically persisted in his efforts to save our aquifer and primary drinking water source from the Navy’s WWII-era fuel facility. Resisting tremendous political pressure to accept the Navy’s superficial assurances of safety, he has remained committed to reason and transparency, even refusing to sign Navy non-disclosure agreements that could have silenced the BWS’ advocacy on behalf of our precious wai.
At this public lecture, Lau generously shared his knowledge, starting with the complexities of Oʻahu’s water system and emphasizing the critical point that Oʻahu relies solely on groundwater for its potable water needs. As he explained, all water for drinking, hygiene, and fire protection comes from our underground aquifer.
He continued with outlining the history of the Red Hill facility, its design and its weaknesses, and most importantly, the nature of the four spills that have occurred since 2014. He discussed institutional responses after the 2014 spill, including the 2015 Administrative Order on Consent (AOC), and the inconsistencies in information shared to the public regarding the amount of fuel spilled (i.e., in May 2021) and the extent of the risk to public health. He emphasized that over the 80 year history of the facility, up to 1.94 million gallons of fuel may have been released from “incidental leaks” despite only 180,000 gallons being documented, citing the Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative’s (WAI) report from November.
Throughout the presentation, Lau emphasized a key theme: we cannot understand the Red Hill crisis fully without acknowledging the history of colonialism on the islands. While he shared that he was still in the process of learning about the full scope of this history, he encouraged others to be a part of that journey, especially in understanding how Kānaka Maoli managed natural resources sustainably for hundreds of years prior to the arrival of Captain Cook. He concluded with a powerful message that mirrors how he has mobilized the community after the Red Hill crisis began: our environment must be protected (or remediated in the case of Red Hill), and when Hawai‘i residents unite with one voice, that vision is much more likely to be realized.
EPA, Navy, and CDC-ATSDR Webinar
On June 18, the EPA hosted a Red Hill webinar with the Navy and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide updates on drinking water monitoring. The EPA, represented by Claudia Spinoza and Christopher Chen, shared a presentation outlining the agency’s current oversight of the Navy’s drinking water system. The EPA has conducted investigations of the system in April 2022, October 2023, and in February 2024, where they interviewed 13 residents in total from JBPHH and AMR, 10 of whom reported skin irritation symptoms. The latest EPA recommendations to the Navy included conducting a sheen analysis when responding to complaints, developing an outreach plan to communicate protections for individuals afraid to file a complaint due to fear of retaliation, and developing standard operating procedures for “managing alternative water.” Findings from another investigation that took place in June will be released in a forthcoming report.
The Navy, represented by Ben Dunn, Patrick Hennessey, and Chris Waldron, then reported on findings from their two-year Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) program and shared an overview of their Extended Drinking Water Monitoring (EDWM) program. In their LTM, with oversight from the EPA and DOH, the Navy took 9,200 water samples from 19 drinking water zones, which were analyzed and later validated by a third party. Those validated results can be viewed online on their Safewaters website. Per the presenters, the Navy maintains that there were no detections of JP-5 from those samples despite apparent detections of total petroleum hydrocarbons, which they claimed are “false positives” arising from their selected laboratory method. The EDWM is a voluntary continuation of water monitoring and includes another sampling zone, tests for more fuel-related analytes, and increases sampling frequency. EDWM testing results will also be posted to the Safewaters website and likewise documented in quarterly reports.
The Navy, through Captain Hennessey, also reported on the Red Hill Clinic. He explained that the Red Hill clinic was created after social media reports of symptoms didn’t reflect existing medical reports. Once the clinic was introduced, they found an uptick in symptoms associated with JP-5 exposure in late November from about 250 people, but by the end of the year, reports returned to baseline levels and have stayed at that baseline since. Despite complaints from the community who have tried to access the clinic, Hennessey stated that they have not turned anyone away for not having an appointment. He also maintained that there have been no comments submitted to the ICE (customer evaluation) system, either positive or negative.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC-ATSDR), represented by Ben Gerhardstein, is currently working on an Assessment of Chemical Exposures (ACE) health investigation and public health assessment activities. The ACE investigation began in early 2022 through a survey with the aid of the Hawaiʻi Department of Health, followed up with another health survey six months later, and a military health records review with the Defense Health Agency (DHA) in early 2023. Their public health activities have included evaluating environmental and health data on releases from the Red Hill facility since 2005 and determining how jet fuel exposures could harm public health. They will be making recommendations and will update their website with any new findings or publications as they are released.
Community Vigilance Amidst Challenges and Tactics at Red Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) move to disband the Community Representation Initiative (CRI) at Red Hill has ignited significant controversy and concern among local communities. The CRI plays a crucial role in providing an opportunity for community questions and concerns regarding the Red Hill Facility to be raised directly to the Navy and EPA, in a transparent and public setting.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) interest in disbanding the CRI centers around disagreements over ground rules proposed for CRI meetings, which would allow the Navy to unilaterally veto agenda items, and prevent the CRI from asking questions regarding recent developments and concerns.
Despite this development, the CRI remains steadfast in its commitment to advocating for the needs and interests of the communities it represents. This month, it convened its 9th meeting at Ka Waihona o Ka Na‘auao in the predominantly Native Hawaiian Waiʻanae moku, providing a unique opportunity for West Oʻahu residents to learn and ask questions about a major water source for the region. To their credit, representatives from the EPA and the Department of Health (DOH) also attended, and engaged in discussions around community questions and concerns.
The meeting featured a presentation by the EPA on Red Hill's drinking water oversight and its ongoing investigations. You can find the EPA presentation slides here.
The DOH also explained their approach to overseeing the ventilation of the Red Hill fuel tanks, and their collaboration with the Navy to develop a protocol to minimize the risk of harm to people and the environment.
Community members attending in person had the opportunity to ask direct questions to EPA and DOH representatives. Despite differing perspectives, the meeting encouraged constructive and genuine dialogue among community members, CRI representatives, and other stakeholders, highlighting the value of the CRI’s role in facilitating community engagement on issues surrounding the Red Hill Facility beyond formal discussions.
Stay updated on the CRI’s activities by visiting CRI’s official website and watching the full recording of the CRI’s 9th meeting here. For more details on the EPA’s attempt to disband the CRI, read the CRI press release here or Civil Beat article here.