HI Fuel Spill Completely out of Drinking Water

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its final drinking water report on the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) and Aliamanu Military Reservation public water systems, which were impacted by the 2021 fuel release from the U.S. Navy-owned Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage facility in Honolulu.

Following decontamination efforts and drinking water quality monitoring, EPA has determined that drinking water provided by systems affected by the release has been free of fuel contamination and in compliance with federal and state drinking water regulations since 2022. EPA says it will continue to support residents impacted by the Red Hill release in partnership with the Hawaii Department of Health, which implements the Safe Drinking Water Act in the state.

“The communities served by the Pearl Harbor and Aliamanu water systems can rest assured that their drinking water is safe from fuel contamination. Our agency’s assessment of the methodical and exhaustive water testing confirms that decontamination of the water system accomplished its objective,” said Acting EPA Pacific Southwest Region Administrator Michael Martucci. “EPA will continue supporting Oahu communities through our role overseeing the Hawaii Department of Health’s implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act. EPA remains committed to holding responsible parties accountable for improving these water systems and seeing through the cleanup and safe closure of Red Hill.”

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The assessment of the JBPHH and AMR public water systems is among the most rigorous post-incident responses for drinking water systems of this size in the U.S. During the drinking water assessment, EPA has:

Mandated and reviewed drinking water sampling by the Navy, including a three-year sampling effort at every accessible residence and all priority buildings, including schools, child development centers, and medical facilities served by the water systems.
Reviewed data collected by the Navy on Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons and fuel indicator compounds, including lab reports, chromatograms, and forensic studies.
Reviewed DOH’s independent investigation of TPH detections in Navy data.
Conducted independent analysis of drinking water samples taken from the water system.
Conducted inspections and investigations of the JBPHH and AMR public water systems and the Navy’s sampling protocols.

Based on conclusions from the assessment, EPA supports these public water systems’ return to ongoing routine Safe Drinking Water Act compliance monitoring. The Hawaii DOH also reviewed EPA’s report and supports its conclusions.

EPA will continue to work with the Navy, the U.S. Army, and DOH to improve infrastructure and operations at the public water systems, oversee the permanent closure of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage facility, and support efforts to safeguard Oahu groundwater under EPA’s 2023 Administrative Consent Order with the Navy and the Defense Logistics Agency.

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With the release of the final drinking water report EPA is also publishing a Drinking Water Results Dashboard, providing transparency by facilitating public access to drinking water sample data.

In November 2021, a fuel release from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility contaminated the Red Hill Shaft, a drinking water well that serves the JBPHH and AMR public water systems. The ensuing Unsafe Water Advisory impacted approximately 93,000 drinking water consumers.

EPA worked with the Navy, the Army, and DOH to form an interagency team to restore the public water systems to full compliance with drinking water standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

In March 2022, the Unsafe Water Advisory was amended to allow for unrestricted use of drinking water throughout the public water systems. Drinking water from the JBPHH and AMR public water systems have met all federal and state drinking water regulations since that time.