Red Hill AFFF fire suppressant spill – Dec. 2 update

Posted on Dec 2, 2022 in Navy Water System Incident, Newsroom

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) continues to respond to a release of approximately 1,100 gallons of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), which is used as a fire suppressant, above Adit 6 at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. DOH continues to work quickly and methodically in coordination with federal regulators.

  • On Dec. 1, DOH approved the Navy’s plan to sample groundwater and soil for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a component of AFFF. Ten groundwater monitoring wells near Adit 6 will be sampled weekly. Both excavated soil and soil in the area surrounding the spill will be sampled to evaluate effectiveness of the excavation effort.
  • There continues to be no evidence of impact to surface water or drinking water.
  • DOH’s Clean Water Branch inspected the site and confirmed that mitigation measures are in place to protect surface water in the event of rain.
  • DOH continues to oversee soil removal at the Red Hill facility. DOH’s on-scene coordinators have been on site every day to oversee work.
  • DOH continues its efforts to hold the Navy and Department of Defense accountable to provide more information on the spill. In a formal Notice of Interest, DOH is requiring the Navy to provide a detailed description of the cause and events leading to the release, an accurate inventory and locations of AFFF remaining at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, and materials that detail changes made to the AFFF concentrate system in 2022.

Previous updates on the AFFF spill response and information on DOH’s Red Hill work are available at health.hawaii.gov/RedHill.

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PDF: Red Hill AFFF fire suppressant spill – Dec. 2 update