Navigating Red Hill: Transitions from defueling to closure and “safe” water
by Madison Owens, Rosalie Luo, and Wayne Tanaka | Reading time: 7.25 minutes
The commencement of Red Hills Phase 5.B February 2024, led by the Joint Task Force-Red Hill (JTF-RH), has prompted mixed emotions within the community. With the removal of 59,552 gallons of residual fuel, concerns are mounting as the Navy's closure plan approaches. This transition raises unsettling questions, especially given the unsettling backdrop of the Navy's water safety narrative.
As the JTF-RH works toward their 60,000 gallon goal, the Navy's persistent claim of water safety becomes increasingly dubious. Seven public schools in the Pearl Harbor area detecting petroleum-based chemicals add a layer of complexity to the situation. These same schools, still recovering from water usability issues during the 2021 tainted water crisis, find themselves once again grappling with the uncertainties surrounding the safety of the Navy's water.
Anxieties are palpable within communities, notably in Hālawa Valley and Pearl Harbor, as the Navy transitions from defueling to closure. The potential release of poisonous fumes during the decommissioning process raises serious health and environmental concerns. Additionally, reports of sickness among children and military personnel cast doubt on the Navy's assurances of water safety.
Complicating matters further, the Navy continues to construct a narrative that their water is “safe” despite detections of petroleum-based chemicals and seven public schools. The use of Environmental Action Levels (EAL) rather than an evidence-based safety threshold, raises skepticism about the adequacy of the Navy’s monitoring plan. With visible sheens in the affected families water, detections considered “low” by the Navy and federal officials nonetheless appear to persistently impact the health of residents along the Navy’s water lines.
Residents, despite reporting ongoing health symptoms linked to water exposure, have faced a disheartening lack of response from the Navy. Nonprofit and community organizations continue to try to meet the basic needs of affected families while also advocating for greater federal intervention. Navigating the Navy's transition from defueling to closure, the community continues to engage and advocate for the restoration of the land, water, and human health impacted by the Oʻahu water crisis.
Insights from the Final JTF-RH Open House and the SWARM Team’s Delayed Arrival
On February 7th, the JTF-RH organized an open house at Keʻehi Lagoon Memorial Park from 4 to 7pm. According to the JTF-RH, as of February 26th, almost 60,000 gallons of residual fuel have been removed from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. However, notably absent were key officials from agencies such as the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health, raising concerns among members of the Red Hill Community Representative Initiative (CRI). Disturbingly, water sampling revealed petroleum-based contaminants in the Navy’s water distribution system, adding urgency to the situation. This marked the final community open house with the JTF-RH, responsible for defueling the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage facility, as operations will transition to the Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill at the end of March.
In the midst of these developments, a notable concern emerged when the Navy introduced the SWARM team to open house participants. Comprising over 20 experts from across the United States, the SWARM team is responsible for investigating the Navy’s drinking water system. Despite a significant increase in the percentage of low level detections, the continual upticks in health issues, and the investment of resources recognizing that something is obviously very wrong, the Navy and its regulators maintain that the Navy water is still somehow “safe.”
CRI February Meeting
The fifth Community Representation Initiative (CRI) meeting may have been one of the most productive meetings yet, as Navy and EPA officials appeared to realize, at some level, that stonewalling, gaslighting, belittling, and then hiding from the community was no longer a tenable strategy.
While Navy and EPA officials actually engaged in some level of meaningful discussion with testifiers and CRI members - a sharp contrast to prior representatives’ refusal to depart from pre-determined non-responses - we will now have to see if they are able to follow through on some of the demands and commitments that were made. These include:
A commitment to prioritize answering the nearly 200 questions that the CRI has fielded from the community, with hopefully meaningful answers;
Commitments to include the community’s request to include highly toxic ethylene dibromide (EDB) - a product resulting from the breakdown of fuel in water - as an analyte in long-term water quality monitoring, and to immediately test water samples for EDB;
A commitment to revisit confusing and potentially dangerous terminology, such as the use of “non-detect” or “safe” to refer to detections of contaminants below the maximum contaminant level;
A commitment to consider analyzing water samples for other types of fuel and fuel constituents that may have been included in the 2 million potential gallons of fuel that may have leaked from the Red Hill facility, in the post long-term monitoring plan;
A commitment to provide “packages” to inform new residents on the Navy’s water lines specifically emphasizing the history of water contamination and to share a copy of a “package” to the CRI;
A commitment to look at the “synergistic” health impacts of exposure to multiple contaminants rather than just at the impacts of individual contaminants in isolation;
A commitment to start testing hot water and water from hot water heaters;
A commitment to reconsider whether the amount of alternate water provided for families with water concerns - in one case, 24 gallons for a family of six - is sufficient, given the EPA’s guidance indicating that a person needs about 86 gallons of water per day;
A commitment to take feedback on making the “clunky” “Safe Waters” website more user friendly and understandable, including by ensuring that data from Aliamanu Military Reservation is available and accessible;
A commitment to consider including a petroleum engineer on the Closure Task Force;
A commitment to inform the CRI and to hold a public hearing prior to any venting of potentially toxic fumes from the Red Hill Facility’s massive storage tanks;
A commitment to improve the quality of service at the Red Hill Clinic, and to push for those who were sickened after November 2021 (such as new residents) to be able to access the clinic’s services;
A commitment by the Navy to provide a report or update on the “SWARM” team investigation looking into the source of current contamination issues;
A commitment by the Navy to include Manana housing in long-term testing and to improve the quality of service for those reporting water issues;
A commitment to consider testing for microbial contamination including bacteria associated with jet fuel;
among others.
While many expressed frustration at the amount of time it has taken for some of these common-sense commitments to be made, the tenacity, intelligence, and diligence of the CRI - and the bravery of community members coming forward and contributing to this work - provide some basis for hope, that answers and actions may finally be forthcoming. Be sure to tune in for the next CRI meeting, tentatively planned for March 20, to see if and how the Navy and EPA follow through on their promises.
You can learn more about the CRI and view past meetings on the CRI website here.
Board of Water Supply Board Meeting
The Board of Water Supply held their monthly board meeting (hybrid) on Monday, February 26th at 2pm. Red Hill was once again on the agenda, which was heavily appreciated by community members and water protectors that have organized in response to the ongoing water crisis. Joyce Lin, a civil engineer at BWS, gave a presentation on some of the recent updates from February regarding the BWS’ response to Red Hill (slides accessible here). Noteworthy events from the update included: 1) the start of construction at a BWS monitoring well at Site H and 2) a Red Hill Remediation Roundtable meeting on February 8th. Members of BWS, including manager and chief engineer Ernie Lau, were also present at the last CRI meeting on February 15th, demonstrating the ongoing commitment key BWS leaders have exhibited since the initial spill in 2014. In addition, over the last month, BWS leaders met with several members of government, including Vice Admiral Scott Gray (Navy Installations Command), and Martha Guzman, (EPA Region 9).
Community members were also able to give public testimony regarding Red Hill, including testimonies by several CRI members (Lacey Quintero, Healani Sonoda-Pale, Susan Gorman-Chang). All testifiers recognized and were critical of the DOH and EPAʻs lack of attendance at the BWS meeting. They also expressed gratitude for the BWS’ continued support despite not formally being a regulator of the Red Hill water. An important discussion around the use of Simple Green also emerged, which the Navy has used to clean the walls and floors of the facility since the 2021 leak. Many brought up concerns over environmental action levels (EALs) and the unknown effects of the interactions of different contaminants, since the EPA only regulates the levels of individual contaminants. CRI members also brought up the increase in water rates, the Navy’s responsibility to help pay for the increases rather than residents, and also urged BWS to not re-open the Halawa Shaft.
For those interested, a recording of the meeting will be made available on the BWS website soon.
Waiheʻe Tunnel Tour
On the morning of February 16th, 2024, members of the Watada Lecture Series Committee embarked on a transformative Waiheʻe Tunnel Tour, setting the stage for the biennial event dedicated to peace, social justice and the environment. This exclusive tour, preceding the much anticipated lecture series, provided a unique glimpse into the upcoming focus of Dr. Kamanamaikalani Beamer’s book, “Waiwai: Water and the Future of Hawaiʻi.”
Led by Arthur Aiu and Michele Harmon, insightful guides, the journey began with a brief story about the naming of the place, unraveling the intricacies of the ahupuaʻa. The group then ventured out to the tunnels, engaging with the Board of Water Supply tour guides who shared the profound purpose of the water tunnel and its intricate connection to the surrounding environment.
Inside the 1,500-foot dike tunnel, darkness enveloped the tour members as they experienced serenity and silence. At the tunnel’s end, a bulkheaded concrete structure stored water, safeguarding it for the dry summer months. Some tour participants collected droplets of water while others used it to cleanse their skin.
In a moment frozen in time, flashlights and cameras were extinguished, and the group surrounded by the gentle echo of water droplets, sang an oli. Embarking from the tunnel, participants sung Oli Mahalo to give thanks to the mauna and to the stewards of the land. As the group descended from the mountain, the echoes of shared stories resonated, leaving an indelible mark- a lifetime etched with the sacred memories of being within the heart of the Waiheʻe Tunnel.
You can learn more about the Waiheʻe tours and how you can participate on the Board of Water Supply’s website here and here.
Upcoming Events
Red Hill Task Force and Fuel Tank Advisory Committee (FTAC) Meeting
Thursday, March 7, at Hawaiʻi Convention Center Liliʻu Theater #310, from 1 to 5pm. The meeting will be hybrid, with in-person attendance and Zoom option.
DOH FTAC Website & Agenda for details
E Hoʻi ka Nani: Chief Justice Richardson’s Public Trust Legacy and Envisioning the Future of Wai
Friday, March 15th, at William S. Richardson School of Law (Classroom 2 & 3 - 2515 Dole Street, Honolulu) from 9am to 5pm. This one-day symposium event will honor Chief Justice Richardson’s legacy shaping the power and potential of the public trust for Hawaiʻi’s water future, especially in light of Maui’s recovery from the devastating August wildfires. This event will be hybrid, with in-person attendance and online options. Registration is not required but is greatly appreciated. If can, please register here by March 8th!
Shut Down Red Hill Coalition Resolution Celebration
Saturday, March 23, at Magic Island, picnic table site #32, from 11am to 2pm. The Shut Down Red Hill Coalition is thrilled to announce the success of the islandwide resolution for the sage defueling and decommissioning of the Red Hill bulk fuel storage fuel facility. Be part of this historic gathering, bring a dish for the potluck, and celebrate unity in advocating for clean, drinkable water on Oʻahu. See you there!