The state Department of Health says tap water in the Pearl City Peninsula housing area is now safe to drink after a fuel leak at the Red Hill fuel storage facility contaminated the water system in November.
The community, which includes residents from all branches of the military, is the second of 19 zones of the Navy’s water distribution system determined by the state to have clean tap water.
All 83 samples collected from homes or buildings in the housing zone did not detect petroleum, the department said.
As a result, the DOH has lifted the advisory against using tap water for drinking, cooking and oral hygiene in Pearl City Peninsula. Water in the Red Hill housing area has also been deemed safe. The advisory remains in effect for the remaining 17 areas.
Residents of Pearl City Peninsula are expected to move back to their homes within two days.
Thousands of residents on the water system have reported illnesses as a result of fuel contamination in the system since late last year. About 4,000 military families have been living in hotels since early December.
If Navy water system users have a question or concern about the quality of their water, please contact DOH at sdwb@doh.hawaii.gov or 808-586-4258.
