Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 1, 1 January 2022 — CRISIS AT KAPŪKAKĪ [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CRISIS AT KAPŪKAKĪ

Q(jCb 0 kūU UMW PROTECT OUR WATER

DIRE RISK 0F O'AHU AQUIFER C0NTAMINATI0N FR0M RED HILL FUEL ST0RAGE FACILITY

On Dec. 6, 2021, the Department of Health issued an emergency order for the U.S. Navy to immediately suspend operations at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility that sits a mere 100 feet above the Moanalua-Waimalu aquifer that supplies more than 40% of O'ahu residents with drinking water. The order also directs the Navy to treat the eontaminated drinking water and safely remove all fuel from the 20 underground storage tanks. The Navy suspended use of the fuel tanks on Nov. 27, 2021, but has not committed to the suspension as being a permanent solution. On Dec. 2, 2021, the Navy admitted that they detected petroleum products in water samples taken from the Red Hill well, contaminating the drinking water supply of over 92,000 residents. On Dec. 13, 2021, the Sierra Club, represented by environmental leeal firm Earthiustice. filed a motion to in-

tervene in proceedings related to the State of Hawai'i Department of Heath's December 6 emergency order. The Sierra Club is seeking to participate in the proceedings related to the emergency order to ensure that the Navy is finally held accountable for contaminating 0'ahu's drinking water supply and to secure the orderly defueling and permanent closure of the Red Hill Facility. "While we weleome the Department of Health's emergency order to shut down Red Hill, the agency has failed to stand up to the Navy in the past and protect 0'ahu's drinking water. With the island's aquifer at stake and our drinking water on the line, it's clear the Navy must defuel and shut down the Red Hill Facility now, before more residents get sick," said Earthjustice attorney David Henkin. "We seek to intervene to ensure that the Department of Heahh does not, onee again, let the Navy off the hook with half-measures that have proved inade-

quate to protect the heahh and safety of 0'ahu's people." On Dec. 15, 2021, the Honolulu City County held a speeial hearing to discuss Bill 48 and Resolution 21-276 and hundreds of people testified in favor of closing the fuel storage facility. Bill 48 will require underground storage tanks over 100,000 gallons to be permitted only if the tank or tank system is guaranteed not to leak. Resolution 21-276 urges the permanent removal and relocation of the Red Hill storage tanks. Both the bill and the resolution passed, whh the Board of Water Supply responsible for the enforcement of Bill 48. The ammended resolution will go to President Biden and to the state water eommission. To help the community stay up-to-date on this critieal issue, the Sierra Club of Hawai'i has put together a Red Hill Water Contamination Live Updates page. Go to: https://sierraclubhawaii.org/rh-live-updates. ■

Hundreds of Native Hawaiians, environmentalists, ond other eon- | cerned residents gathered at the Hawai'i State Capitol on Dec. 10, f 2021, to protest the U.S. Navy's failure to address the fuel leakina | from its massive underground Fuel Storage Facility at Kapūkakl (Rea ^ Hill). The facility is positioned just 100 feet above a major aqui- ! fer that supplies drinUg water to more than 400,000 O'ahu res1 idents. The protest included a 7-minute "die-in" (top left) during whieh lamaiea Osorio quietly sang "Aloha 'Oe." - Pnotos: Jason Lees