Some Pearl Harbor residents are concerned that traces of fuel from the 2021 Red Hill spill are still appearing in their homes.
Complaints about residual water issues at six homes were made to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in October.
According to Rear Adm. Stephen Barnett, commander of the Navy Closure Task Force Red Hill, out of the six complaints, only four responded to the Navy’s offer to examine the issue further.
Test results from four homes detected trace amounts of petroleum hydrocarbons as diesel in three of them, according to a report released this week.
Officials say the issue could be with the Navy water distribution system or the plumbing of homes, including unreplaced appliances like water heaters.
The Navy’s ongoing monitoring and sampling of water at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam shows it meets safe drinking standards.
“My team has worked with the EPA and numerous stakeholders to sample and test these homes so all our residents can be assured their water remains safe and clean," Barnett said in a statement.
The task force said they will continue to investigate water issue complaints while providing constant communication with the EPA and the Hawai‘i Department of Health.
Kristina Baehr, a lawyer with Just Well Law, is representing many military families, service members and civilians in two federal court cases.
“Thousands of military families and civilians poisoned by the catastrophic Red Hill water contamination still cannot rely on the Navy for answers to or help for their continuing health problems," she said in a statement responding to the report.
"This week’s Environmental Protection Agency report — confirming fuel still in the water system after two years — prompts new questions of Navy incompetence and indifference," she continued.
She said the Navy’s latest Red Hill statement shows, that leadership remains "out of touch with the harm done by and continuing risks of the water system."
