HAWAII - A once-classified U.S. Military fuel storage installation hidden inside of a mountain in Hawaii called the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility began leaking jet fuel into the drinking water and sickening at least 5,900 military personnel in November 2021.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III convened senior Department leaders yesterday for an update on efforts to safely and expeditiously defuel and permanently close the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.
The DoD report on the matter said "The Secretary emphasized the need to continue health response efforts to protect and ensure the health of military families affected by the November 2021 water contamination".
The military facility is located near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, which overlooks Pearl Harbor and has been used as a fuel storage facility for providing fuel to ships in the Indo-Pacific since World War 2 and was, for many years a classified installation hidden beneath a mountain.
Of the 5,900 that were sickened, many complained about experiencing nausea, rashes, headaches, skin peeling, and vomiting which got better after they stopped drinking from the water supply. 4,000 of those that were sickened by the contaminated water supply were moved to hotel rooms to get away from it. Meanwhile, the U.S. Military has obtained water treatment systems from the United States mainland.
Navy Rear Admiral Blake Converse who is the deputy Pacific Fleet Commander spoke to lawmakers in January and said "The Navy caused this problem, we own it and we're gonna fix it".
At the time we wrote the first Report on the matter, the U.S. Navy had not yet determined how the fuel leak happened and how fuel got into the drinking water supply. The fuel tanks are inside the mountain ridge in order to protect them from attacks from the air. Each fuel tank can hold up to 12.5 million gallons of water and is about the size of a 25-story building.
The fuel tanks have pipes connected to them that allow the U.S. Military to feed fuel about 2.5 miles to the Pearl Harbor docks so that they can fuel the ships and aircraft docked there. The tanks fuel both planes and ships for the Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force as well as the Army.
According to Stripes News officials were investigating the leak and theorized that jet fuel may have spilled into the water supply from a 'ruptured' pipe in May of 2021 and from there somehow entered into the fire suppression system's drain pipe, sending the water into the drinking supply from there.
Stripes had reported that the Navy had been trying to clean the petroleum from the well that was contaminated with jet fuel and 'pump it out of the aquifer'.
Deputy Pacific Fleet command, Converse said during the congressional hearing on the matter when it was first discovered, that the U.S. Navy was working on restoring public trust after the incident. "We recognize how much these events impacted the lives of so many, and we are firmly committed to restoring safe drinking water in a manner that builds trust and protects the land and the waters of Hawaii" Converse stated.
The DoD reported on October 25th of this month that "Rear Admiral Wade briefed Secretary Austin that defueling unpacking operations will begin this week and that the Joint Task Force is on schedule.
During the meeting, the Secretary relayed his confidence that the Joint Task Force Red Hill will continue to focus on protecting the population and the environment throughout the defueling process. The Secretary emphasized that the Department of Defense remains committed to the health and safety of our military families and the people of Hawaii."
The report goes on to say that "Secretary Austin visited the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on September 30 to receive an update from Rear Admiral Wade, who is in command of a more than one hundred person Joint Task Force charged with the defueling effort of the facility."
"Joint Task Force Red Hill continues to work closely with the Hawaii Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency on the planning and implementation of the defueling process." it continued.
Previous Report On The Fuel Leak
The Secretary emphasized the need to continue health response efforts to protect and ensure the health of military families affected by the November 2021 water contamination.
The meeting included the Secretary of the Navy, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Chief of Naval Operations, INDOPACOM Commander, Joint Task Force Red Hill commander Rear Admiral John Wade, and other senior leaders.
Rear Admiral Wade briefed Secretary Austin that defueling unpacking operations will begin this week and that the Joint Task Force is on schedule. During the meeting, the Secretary relayed his confidence that the Joint Task Force Red Hill will continue to focus on protecting the population and the environment throughout the defueling process.
The Secretary emphasized that the Department of Defense remains committed to the health and safety of our military families and the people of Hawaii.
Secretary Austin visited the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on September 30 to receive an update from Rear Admiral Wade, who is in command of a more than one hundred-person Joint Task Force charged with the defueling effort of the facility. Joint Task Force Red Hill continues to work closely with the Hawaii Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency on the planning and implementation of the defueling process.
Once the Joint Task Force Red Hill has completed its defueling efforts, the Department of the Navy will work with the Hawaii Department of Health and the EPA to close the facility. The Navy will be submitting a closure plan for the Red Hill Facility no later than November 1, 2022, to the Hawaii Department of Health.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III convened senior Department leaders yesterday for an update on efforts to safely and expeditiously defuel and permanently close the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.
The DoD report on the matter said "The Secretary emphasized the need to continue health response efforts to protect and ensure the health of military families affected by the November 2021 water contamination".
The military facility is located near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, which overlooks Pearl Harbor and has been used as a fuel storage facility for providing fuel to ships in the Indo-Pacific since World War 2 and was, for many years a classified installation hidden beneath a mountain.
Of the 5,900 that were sickened, many complained about experiencing nausea, rashes, headaches, skin peeling, and vomiting which got better after they stopped drinking from the water supply. 4,000 of those that were sickened by the contaminated water supply were moved to hotel rooms to get away from it. Meanwhile, the U.S. Military has obtained water treatment systems from the United States mainland.
Navy Rear Admiral Blake Converse who is the deputy Pacific Fleet Commander spoke to lawmakers in January and said "The Navy caused this problem, we own it and we're gonna fix it".
At the time we wrote the first Report on the matter, the U.S. Navy had not yet determined how the fuel leak happened and how fuel got into the drinking water supply. The fuel tanks are inside the mountain ridge in order to protect them from attacks from the air. Each fuel tank can hold up to 12.5 million gallons of water and is about the size of a 25-story building.
The fuel tanks have pipes connected to them that allow the U.S. Military to feed fuel about 2.5 miles to the Pearl Harbor docks so that they can fuel the ships and aircraft docked there. The tanks fuel both planes and ships for the Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force as well as the Army.
According to Stripes News officials were investigating the leak and theorized that jet fuel may have spilled into the water supply from a 'ruptured' pipe in May of 2021 and from there somehow entered into the fire suppression system's drain pipe, sending the water into the drinking supply from there.
Stripes had reported that the Navy had been trying to clean the petroleum from the well that was contaminated with jet fuel and 'pump it out of the aquifer'.
Deputy Pacific Fleet command, Converse said during the congressional hearing on the matter when it was first discovered, that the U.S. Navy was working on restoring public trust after the incident. "We recognize how much these events impacted the lives of so many, and we are firmly committed to restoring safe drinking water in a manner that builds trust and protects the land and the waters of Hawaii" Converse stated.
The DoD reported on October 25th of this month that "Rear Admiral Wade briefed Secretary Austin that defueling unpacking operations will begin this week and that the Joint Task Force is on schedule.
During the meeting, the Secretary relayed his confidence that the Joint Task Force Red Hill will continue to focus on protecting the population and the environment throughout the defueling process. The Secretary emphasized that the Department of Defense remains committed to the health and safety of our military families and the people of Hawaii."
The report goes on to say that "Secretary Austin visited the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on September 30 to receive an update from Rear Admiral Wade, who is in command of a more than one hundred person Joint Task Force charged with the defueling effort of the facility."
"Joint Task Force Red Hill continues to work closely with the Hawaii Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency on the planning and implementation of the defueling process." it continued.
Previous Report On The Fuel Leak
Full DoD Report: Red Hill Defueling, Closure And Health Response Plan
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III convened senior Department leaders yesterday for an update on efforts to safely and expeditiously defuel and permanently close the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.The Secretary emphasized the need to continue health response efforts to protect and ensure the health of military families affected by the November 2021 water contamination.
The meeting included the Secretary of the Navy, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Chief of Naval Operations, INDOPACOM Commander, Joint Task Force Red Hill commander Rear Admiral John Wade, and other senior leaders.
Rear Admiral Wade briefed Secretary Austin that defueling unpacking operations will begin this week and that the Joint Task Force is on schedule. During the meeting, the Secretary relayed his confidence that the Joint Task Force Red Hill will continue to focus on protecting the population and the environment throughout the defueling process.
The Secretary emphasized that the Department of Defense remains committed to the health and safety of our military families and the people of Hawaii.
Secretary Austin visited the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on September 30 to receive an update from Rear Admiral Wade, who is in command of a more than one hundred-person Joint Task Force charged with the defueling effort of the facility. Joint Task Force Red Hill continues to work closely with the Hawaii Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency on the planning and implementation of the defueling process.
Once the Joint Task Force Red Hill has completed its defueling efforts, the Department of the Navy will work with the Hawaii Department of Health and the EPA to close the facility. The Navy will be submitting a closure plan for the Red Hill Facility no later than November 1, 2022, to the Hawaii Department of Health.