Moanalua-Waimalu Aquifer Information - Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility
From Honolulu Board of Water Supply
The DOH, EPA, and Navy released a proposed Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) which will determine what the Navy will need to do in order to prevent future fuel leaks and contamination to the aquifer.
A public meeting to discuss the AOC will be held on Thursday, June 18, 2015 from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Moanalua Middle School cafeteria, 1289 Mahiole Street, Honolulu.
For more information and to submit comments, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/redhill/ and http://health.hawaii.gov/RedHill.
The Board of Water Supply (BWS) is committed to serving safe drinking water by protecting our groundwater aquifers and takes seriously anything that could impact its ability to provide quality drinking water in sufficient quantities to meet Oahu's needs.
In January 2014, the U.S. Navy reported a 27,000 gallon leak of jet fuel from Tank 5 at its Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. The Navy owns twenty fuel tanks in the Red Hill area, each able to contain up to 12.5 million gallons of fuel. These tanks are located 100 feet above the groundwater aquifer. 100 feet is the height of the State Capitol. This aquifer is also the same one that BWS uses to provide water to residents from Moanalua to Hawaii Kai. The BWS is testing its wells in the area and wants to assure our customers that our water is safe to drink. However, Navy studies show that fuel leaks from the Red Hill tanks have occurred in the past and the groundwater underneath the tanks are already contaminated with fuel. These findings describe a situation that poses a serious threat to the aquifer's long-term ability to provide safe drinking water.
The BWS would like our customers to know that we are doing everything we can to urge the Navy to (1) double line the tanks; (2) install advanced leak detection and tank corrosion protection and; (3) clean up the fuel that is already underneath the tanks so that the contamination does not reach our wells. Join us in helping to keep our drinking water safe by letting your elected officials know that we need to prevent the fuel contamination from reaching our wells and protect our groundwater aquifers and environment now and into the future.
Additional Information:
LINK: Frequently asked questions
Star-Adv: Board of Water Supply advises customers to ‘be concerned’
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