2021 Red Hill jet fuel contamination came after decades of issues

The week of Thanksgiving successful 2021 quickly turned from 1 of nosy pinch family and friends to thing described arsenic "post-apocalyptic" connected nan Hawaiian land of Oahu. Jet substance had unknowingly leaked from nan Department of Defense's largest underground substance retention installation and seeped into nan strategy that provides drinking water to thousands of subject families and area residents. 

Within days, "we were each fighting complete water," Mai Hall, who is Native Hawaiian and a subject spouse, told CBS News. 

"It was each complete nan neighborhood. … I was crying putting portion complete nan faucets because I conscionable could not judge that I couldn't portion nan water, h2o that has been present for centuries," she said. "...The strategy has grounded us." 

Hall's family is 1 of galore still emotion nan impacts of that jet substance exposure moreover today. But that leak wasn't nan first that has occurred astatine nan U.S. Navy's Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility — and it wasn't nan last. 

Lt. Cmdr. Andrew Lovgren, substance head astatine Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor, briefs members of nan Honolulu Board of Water Supply during a sojourn to Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility adjacent Pearl Harbor successful 2016.  U.S. Navy photograph by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Meranda Keller/Released

Red Hill's agelong history of issues and warnings

The Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility was built successful nan early 1940s nether a upland ridge adjacent Honolulu, Hawaii's superior city, and consists of 20 steel-lined tanks encased successful concrete. Each of those tanks is 250 feet tall, 100 feet successful diameter and tin clasp astir 12.5 cardinal gallons of substance — ample capable to fresh nan Statue of Liberty from nan apical of nan guidelines to nan torch. 

Ernest Lau, head and main technologist of nan Honolulu Board of Water Supply, told CBS News that nan Navy's records show astatine slightest 72 documented substance releases from nan facility. 

"Probably complete 180,000 gallons of substance of different types that has been released complete its 80-year history," Lau said. 

Navy Closure Task Force–Red Hill, which is overseeing nan defueling and permanent closure of nan site, told CBS News that while reports person identified astir 70 substance releases since nan tract was opened successful 1942, nan Navy has "accepted 58 of those claims" arsenic portion of a 2021 Contested Case Hearing. The Navy is moving connected confirming nan number of releases of substance and aqueous movie forming foam (AFFF) —a occurrence suppressant that contains PFAS, different known arsenic "forever chemicals" that person been linked to a wide scope of wellness issues, including cancers. 

Remediation of nan spill tract done excavation and removal of contaminated surfaces and worldly was instantly initiated aft an estimated 1,100 gallons of aqueous movie forming foam (AFFF) ore spilled from nan occurrence suppression strategy astatine nan Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility's Adit 6 connected Nov. 29, 2022.  U.S. Army photograph by Spc. Matthew Mackintosh

The astir caller of those awesome substance spills was successful nan autumn of 2021, impacting Hall's family. Initial reports from nan Navy indicated location was a spill of 14,000 gallons astatine this time, but it was later wished that 19,377 gallons of pitchy fuel spilled erstwhile a cart deed and cracked a occurrence suppression strategy tube that had been containing nan substance since it leaked retired of a vessel earlier successful nan year.

But 2 years earlier that, a risk study conducted by nan Navy recovered a 27.6% chance "of an initiating arena resulting successful a substance merchandise betwixt 1,000 and 30,000 gallons."

That study was conducted aft a spill was announced astatine nan installation connected Jan. 13, 2014, which astatine nan clip was holding three types of substance — JP-5, JP-8 and diesel marine fuel, each of which are known to beryllium harmful to quality wellness erstwhile chronically exposed. The leak occurred erstwhile 1 of nan underground tanks "experienced a merchandise of 27,000 gallons of fuel owed to a contractor's correction and an ineffective consequence and oversight," nan Navy says connected its website. 

The EPA wasn't verbally notified until 3 days later and written notification to nan EPA wasn't issued until 10 days later.  

"They didn't moreover cognize that a spill had happened until personification really checked connected nan vessel and noticed that location was astir a ft and a half of substance that was missing," Kamanamaikalani Beamer, a professor astatine nan University of Hawaii Center for Hawaiian Studies, told CBS News. At nan time, he was serving connected nan Water Resource Management Commission. 

"The tanks are severely corroded," he said. "I mean immoderate of them, little of nan thickness of a dime is nan obstruction betwixt 100 cardinal gallons of substance and leakage." 

The task unit told CBS News that "all substance tanks acquisition corrosion" and that nan Navy utilized "several strategies" to counteract it, including vessel cleaning, inspection and repair, a process known arsenic TIRM. 

At nan clip of nan spill, Beamer questioned Navy officials during meetings pinch nan committee astir nan grade of nan rumor and really it could person occurred. He believes nan incident was "probably nan first large-scale spill that really caught everyone's attention." And while nan Navy yet agreed to an Order of Consent pinch nan wellness department, EPA and others, nan committee still "worried that it mightiness fail," Beamer said. 

"They assured maine this would ne'er hap again. This was conscionable because of 1 faulty vessel and they were going to travel up pinch a full strategy to hole nan tanks," he said. "...They assured maine it was nan astir state-of-the-art facility. They looked maine successful nan oculus and told maine … 'We portion from nan aforesaid aquifer arsenic everyone, we would ne'er poison our ain people.' And they lied, they lied astir each of it." 

"We return our biology stewardship seriously," Capt. Mark Wheeler, nan commandant serviceman astatine nan clip of nan Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor, said successful a press release astir nan incident. "Our subject unit and families unrecorded present and portion nan water, too."

The 2014 spill was not nan only incident involving Red Hill and different Naval operations. 

Photo of nan impermanent staging area for aqueous film-forming foam betterment astatine nan Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility successful November 2022. U.S. Navy photograph by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher Thomas

"There were a number of warnings," Wayne Tanaka, head of nan Sierra Club of Hawai'i, told CBS News. "...There's been aggregate instances wherever moreover nether nan utmost scrutiny that was being applied to nan Red Hill facility, nan Navy simply could not run successful a mode that was safe for nan situation and safe for people." 

As acold backmost arsenic 2017, nan EPA said nan "aging" installation posed a "significant biology threat to Oahu's groundwater." 

An Administrative Order connected Consent betwixt nan EPA, Hawai'i State Department of Health, nan U.S. Navy and nan Defense Logistics Agency successful 2015 shows that nan Navy's first-ever study to nan Department of Health complete a leak astatine nan installation was successful November 1998, "when petroleum-stained basalt cores were discovered beneath nan tanks." In nan early 2000s, staining was recovered beneath 19 of nan 20 tanks. 

In 2012, nan Hawai'i DOH issued an $80,000 good to nan Navy Public Works Center Makalapa Compound, a guidelines gait for attraction activities for Pearl Harbor Navy Region Hawai'i, aft an inspection nan twelvemonth anterior recovered they "failed to make a hazardous discarded determination for corrosive wastes generated." Instead of handling materials arsenic hazardous waste, nan DOH said they were "disposed of successful nan trash," and that hazardous paints and fuels were stored successful unfastened containers, violating requirements.

A December 2021 emergency bid from nan Hawai'i DOH shows a litany of issues stemming from nan facility.

On March 17 and June 2, 2020, location was a "release of a regulated constituent to aboveground water." And past successful May 2021, conscionable months earlier nan catastrophic pitchy substance leak astatine Red Hill, 1,618 gallons of substance was released from a pipeline, 1,580 gallons of which was recovered. The missing substance was "released into nan environment," nan bid says.

Two months later, different 150 gallons of a "regulated substance" was released astatine Kilo Pier into nan aboveground water, astir 110 gallons of which was recovered. 

"Given nan number of incidences that person occurred astatine nan Facility wrong nan past year, and successful position of nan existent drinking h2o contamination, nan Respondent [the U.S. Navy] has not demonstrated that contiguous and due consequence actions are available, and truthful cannot guarantee that contiguous and due consequence actions will beryllium disposable should different merchandise occurs successful nan future," nan bid states. "The consequence of immoderate further contaminants successful nan aquifer aliases deficiency of contiguous action now whitethorn exacerbate nan existent business and further jeopardize our aquifer system."

Despite agelong opinionated issues, Tanaka said it wasn't until nan November 2021 incident that section and national officials took important action. 

"And that's really scary because we can't spend to person different incident for illustration this hap again," he said. "...The authorities has likened [Red Hill] to a ticking clip bomb. … So nan threat is immense. The threat is existential." 

As substance spill victims caput to trial, Navy continues effort to unopen down nan site 

On Monday, victims who were impacted by nan 2021 substance contamination headed to trial to activity financial compensation from nan U.S. government. Many of those who drank, bathed successful and utilized tainted h2o for dishes and laundry opportunity they are still dealing pinch various wellness impacts, including children. 

The proceedings comes conscionable nether a twelvemonth aft attorneys for nan Department of Justice revenge a associated stipulation that stated "the United States does not dispute" nan 2021 spill "caused a nuisance" and that nan U.S. "breached its work of attraction to nan Resident Plaintiffs to workout mean attraction successful nan cognition of Red Hill." 

Since nan 2021 spill and an further leak of AFFF successful 2022, nan DOJ has ordered nan imperishable closure of nan site. As of April 2024, "the immense mostly of substance and AFFF ore person been removed from nan facility," nan task unit told CBS News. However, location are still thousands of gallons of contaminants that stay successful nan site. 

The task unit said there's an estimated 28,000 gallons of sludge successful nan 14 tanks. That discarded is simply a substance of fuel, water, direct, metallic particles and microorganisms that shape astatine nan bottommost of substance tanks. Once removed, it will beryllium stored successful hazardous discarded containers to beryllium disposed of connected nan U.S. mainland. 

There is besides an estimated 4,000 gallons of residual substance that must beryllium removed from crossed astir 10 miles of pipelines, nan task unit said. 

"Our squad will region residual substance earlier removing mini sections of pipe, applying exacting information protocols for each activity. The consequence to nan situation has been importantly reduced aft removing astir 104 cardinal gallons of substance during defueling and pinch nan caller removal of complete 1,000 gallons of AFFF from nan facility," nan task unit said, adding that nan AFFF had been a "major threat to nan aquifer."

Tank cleaning operations could commencement soon, and will return spot 2 tanks astatine a time. It's expected that nan cleaning process will return astir 2 and a half years to complete. Removing nan pipeline strategy will besides return astir 2 and a half years. 

The task unit added that "the wellness and use of each Navy drinking h2o users is nan astir important priority," and said it will "continue our activity to guarantee nan h2o continues to meet and comply pinch each authorities and national safe drinking h2o requirements."

In:
• Water Safety
• U.S. Navy
• Drinking Water
• United States Military
• Navy
• Honolulu
• Hawaii
• PFAS
• United States Environmental Protection Agency