Navy Water System Incident

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) has partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to secure up to $75 million for use by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS). Among the potential uses for this funding is that BWS can resume use of its Hālawa Shaft for drinking water production. DOH ...
Read More Department of Health and EPA Secure Federal Funding to Increase Supply of Safe Drinking Water

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) will hold a Fuel Tank Advisory Committee meeting Wednesday on updates related to the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. The agenda includes information on defueling progress, closure plan updates, and remediation updates. Representatives from the DOH, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Joint Task Force-Red Hill, Navy Region ...
Read More Department of Health to Host Fuel Tank Advisory Committee Meeting on November 15

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) conditionally approved the Joint Task Force-Red Hill (JTF-RH) repacking plan on August 24. Repacking is the next step toward defueling about 104 million gallons of fuel from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. Conditional approval means that DOH’s approval required JTF-RH to address any issues ...
Read More Department of Health conditionally approves Red Hill repairs, repacking plan

Surge tanks are separate from main Red Hill tanks HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) conditionally approved Joint Task Force-Red Hill’s (JTF-RH) operational plan to defuel four fuel-containing surge tanks located at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. While this process is part of the defueling of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, ...
Read More Department of Health conditionally approves defueling of Red Hill surge tanks

HONOLULU, HI – The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) will host an open house and conduct a Fuel Tank Advisory Committee (FTAC) meeting next week to address environmental contamination from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. Representatives from DOH, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Joint Task Force-Red Hill, Navy Region Hawaiʻi, the Naval ...
Read More Department of Health to host Red Hill open house, Fuel Tank Advisory Committee meeting June 5 and 6, 2023

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) today received an updated defueling plan for the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (Supplement 2). The plan, submitted by Joint Task Force-Red Hill (JTF-RH), moves up defueling to begin in October 2023. “We are encouraged by the updated Red Hill defueling timeline,” said Deputy Director ...
Read More DOH to Review Updated Red Hill Defueling Plan

HONOLULU – In response to the U.S. Navy’s release of its investigation into the November 29, 2022 aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) spill at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) issued the following statement: “The release of the DOD’s investigation and video of the November AFFF spill ...
Read More DOH Statement on Release of Department of Defense’s AFFF Spill Investigation

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) received the first set of test results from soil samples it collected outside of Adit 6 of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, where roughly 1,100 gallons of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) were released on November 29, 2022. The laboratory test results are available on ...
Read More DOH releases soil data from AFFF release at Red Hill

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) will participate in an open house Thursday, January 19, regarding the ongoing effort to defuel and close the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF). The open house will be at the O‛ahu Veterans Center at 1298 Kukila Street from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. DOH will ...
Read More DOH to participate in Red Hill open house

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 ...
Read More Red Hill AFFF fire suppressant spill – Dec. 2 update

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. Late ...
Read More Red Hill AFFF fire suppressant spill – Nov. 30 update

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) was notified this afternoon of 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. Adit 6 is located at the mauka point of the Red Hill facility. DOH ...
Read More DOH investigating Red Hill AFFF fire suppressant spill

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) conditionally approved the U.S. Navy’s unpacking plan to remove existing fuel from the three pipelines at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. The Navy’s Unpacking Plan is the first phase of its overall plan to defuel the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, as required under ...
Read More DOH conditionally approves first phase of Red Hill defueling

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) issued a Notice of Violation and Order (NOVO) to the United States Navy to address a myriad of deficiencies at the NAVFAC Hawaii Wastewater Treatment Plant near Pearl Harbor. Numerous operation and maintenance issues led to repeated discharges of untreated or partially treated sewage to state waters. ...
Read More DOH issues .7 million fine, orders Navy to make critical repairs to Pearl Harbor wastewater treatment plan

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi Department of Health received a supplement to the Navy’s Red Hill defueling plan this afternoon. Click here to read a redacted version of the defueling plan supplement submitted by the Navy. “We are focused on ensuring that defueling takes place as quickly and safely as possible,” said Deputy Director of Environmental ...
Read More DOH releases updated Red Hill defueling plan

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health (DOH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR) are conducting a follow-up survey to learn more about the experience of people affected by the petroleum contamination in the U.S. Navy’s Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam drinking water system. The survey, ...
Read More Navy water system users encouraged to participate in follow-up health impact survey

HONOLULU – The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) disapproved the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility defueling plan, citing a lack of detail.  This determination is consistent with the DOD’s own assessment that “it will not receive DOH approval of this defueling plan until it is able to provide this ...
Read More DOH disapproves DOD’s Red Hill defueling plan

Clarification: Please use below updated quote from Deputy Director Ho: “We are releasing these documents in the interest of transparency,” said Deputy Director of Environmental Health Kathleen Ho. “Red Hill needs to be shut down as quickly as possible and we fully expect that the Navy will marshal all possible available resources to defuel and ...
Read More DOH releases Red Hill defueling plan, command investigation

HONOLULU – As part of its responsibility to protect public health and the environment, the Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) provides status reports on matters concerning the defueling, monitoring, and remediation of the U.S. Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage facility.  In accordance with its Emergency Order, DOH is preparing to receive the Navy’s Red ...
Read More DOH Red Hill Status Report #4

HONOLULU – The Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) today released an assessment report prepared by the Navy’s contractor outlining major physical repairs and operational improvements needed to enable safe defueling of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. “This report describes extensive and critical repairs that are needed to safely defuel and decommission Red Hill,” ...
Read More DOH: Contractor’s report on Red Hill defueling outlines extensive, critical repairs