The state Department of Health has granted the Navy a permit to discharge treated water from its contaminated Red Hill Shaft into Halawa Stream.
The permit allows the Navy to flush up to 5 million gallons a day from the shaft into filter units that would eliminate fuel contaminants before it is discharged into the waterway.
DOH Deputy Director Kathleen Ho says water needs to be pumped out of the Red Hill Shaft to prevent contamination of the aquifer beneath the Red Hill fuel storage facility.
The Navy must install equipment to monitor the process, and Ho says if at any time contaminants exceed acceptable levels, they will stop operations.
The Red Hill Shaft was taken offline last November after residents of military housing began complaining of a jet fuel odor in their tap water.
Navy officials said they suspect the contamination came from a fuel spill earlier that month, but the findings of an investigation have not been made public.
Click here to read the full 224-page Red Hill Shaft recovery plan.
