Honolulu Board of Water Supply

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply said Thursday it detected trace amounts of fuel in a groundwater monitoring well in Moanalua Valley. The Conversation spoke with BWS Manager and Chief Engineer Ernie Lau and Water Quality Manager Erwin Kawata.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply said Thursday it has detected trace amounts of fuel in its groundwater monitoring well in Moanalua Valley, which sits about 1,500 feet from the Red Hill bulk storage facility. HPR's Sabrina Bodon reports.

Windward Oʻahu residents are being asked to conserve water due to a 30-inch main break over the weekend in the Kahana Bay area.

A Navy investigation into the 2021 fuel leaks at the Red Hill underground fuel storage facility revealed that shoddy management and human error caused fuel to leak into Pearl Harbor's tap water. Speaking with HPR's The Conversation, Honolulu Board of Water Supply Chief Engineer Ernie Lau says Red Hill might be just the tip of the iceberg.

Last week, the Navy released an official report on the Red Hill fuel leak. It detailed the leadership and maintenance failures that resulted in two catastrophic fuel leaks throughout 2021. The Conversation sat down with Board of Water Supply Chief Engineer Ernie Lau to talk about the findings.

After the U.S. Navy released its internal investigation reports into last year’s leaks at its Red Hill fuel storage facility, Honolulu Board of Water Supply Chief Engineer Ernie Lau sat down with the pages. The report details the path thousands of gallons of jet fuel took to get into the drinking water of more than 93,000 people, some of which surprised Lau.

Red Hill operations have been shut down since November when fuel leaked into the Navy's drinking water system. But U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele speculates the actual defueling of the tanks may not happen until late 2024, pointing to approvals and procurement of contracts. HPR's Sabrina Bodon reports.

With the current rate of voluntary water conservation, proposed construction projects in Honolulu are no longer in jeopardy of being put on hold, Board of Water Supply Chief Engineer Ernie Lau reported Tuesday.

The major stakeholders in the Red Hill fuel leak and water contamination crisis held a public meeting Friday. It’s been six months since fuel was found in the Navy water system, forcing thousands of military families out of their homes and into hotel rooms just before the holiday season.

A Board of Water Supply official says accumulated fuel leaks from the Red Hill storage facility on Oʻahu could prevent a key water well from ever being brought back online.