Editorial: Keep wary eye on Red Hill promises

TL;DR - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Navy have agreed on terms of a proposed consent order that requires the Navy to defuel and close the Red Hill Bulk Storage Facility. But for many concerned islanders, including the top official of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS), the EPA’s directive and responsibility do not go far enough.

It’s a solid concern, given that a 2015 EPA-Navy consent agreement requiring safe operations after a previous spill at Red Hill did not stave off the disastrous contamination of the military’s water supply by spilled fuel in November 2021. The fuel-contaminated water affected hundreds of residents of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, as well as families in Ewa served by the military’s water system, sickening adults and children exposed to the spill.

Red Hill’s 20 massive fuel tanks sit over an aquifer feeding Honolulu’s water supply, and a major fuel spill at Red Hill could contaminate Honolulu’s civilian water. With such high stakes, the EPA must more clearly delineate required Navy actions.

January 23, 2023: Editorial: Keep wary eye on Red Hill promises, Honolulu Star-Advertiser