During a weekend visit to Oʻahu, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro toured the Red Hill fuel storage facility and spoke with military residents dealing with fuel-contaminated water.
The Navy said Del Toro wanted to see the progress that had been made in restoring safe drinking water to about 93,000 people on the Navy’s water system.
On Dec. 8, Del Toro ordered a pause of all operations at Red Hill after petroleum was determined to have contaminated drinking water around Pearl Harbor.
Del Toro noted that the water in two of the Navy’s 19 zones had been cleared by state officials, allowing residents to return home. Navy officials said Friday tap water tests at a Halsey Terrace home detected high levels of petroleum, months after the November leak.
Del Toro said the situation will remain unacceptable until all zones have been given the all-clear.
In addition to touring the Red Hill fuel facility, Del Toro held a town hall with affected families and met with members of Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegation and Gov. David Ige.
Meanwhile, the state Department of Health said Tuesday the Navy is not in compliance with the emergency order to defuel Red Hill because the third-party contractor selected to evaluate the facility "is not currently in a position to act independently."
"According to the timeline submitted by SGH and the Navy, work has already begun. The Navy is proceeding at its own risk and without DOH approval," the department said.
“It is critical that the work to defuel Red Hill is done safely and that the third-party contractor hired to oversee that work will operate in the interests of the people and environment of Hawaiʻi. Based on the contract, we have serious concerns about Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc.’s work being done independently," said Deputy Director of Environmental Health Kathleen Ho in a statement.
The department said it is concerned that the proposed evaluation is only based on information provided by the Navy.
"The Navy’s ability to singularly influence the work product is a concern," the department said.
