HONOLULU — The U.S. Navy announced Monday that it has suspended use of World War II-era fuel tank farm above a Hawaii aquifer that supplies nearly 20% of Honolulu’s drinking water.

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro made the announcement during a briefing with reporters at Pearl Harbor after problems surfaced about two weeks ago on and near the base.

Gov. David Ige also issued a health order to the Navy to suspend operations at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, empty the underground storage tanks and to "take immediate steps to install a drinking water treatment system" within 30 days.

Nearly 1,000 military households have complained that their tap water smells like fuel and some have also complained that they have suffered physical ailments such as cramps and vomiting.

A water sample returned last week showed the presence of petroleum. The well is near the underground fuel tank complex that has been the source of multiple fuel leaks over the years.

Fuel from the tanks is used to power many U.S. military ships and planes that patrol the Pacific Ocean.

The announcement came after Hawaii’s governor and congressional delegation called on the Navy to suspend operations at the fuel tank farm that sits above an aquifer that supplies water to urban Honolulu.

Rear Admiral Blake Converse, deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said that the use of the tank farm was suspended on Nov. 27 but officials did not say why the Navy waited until Monday to make that announcement.

The Navy last week said a water sample from one of its wells showed the presence of petroleum. The well is near the underground fuel tank complex that has been the source of multiple fuel leaks over the years.

The Navy’s water system serves about 93,000 people. Nearly 1,000 military households complained about their tap water smelling like fuel or of ailments like stomach cramps and vomiting.

The Navy said it would flush clean water through the distribution system to clear residual petroleum products from the water. The process, along with testing, could take up to 10 days to make sure the water meets Environmental Protection Agency drinking standards.

The Navy also pledged to investigate how contaminates got into the well and to fix the problem.

The tap water problems have afflicted one of the military’s most important bases, home to submarines, ships and the commander of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific region. They also threaten to jeopardize one of Honolulu’s most important aquifers and water sources.

During World War II, the Roosevelt administration was concerned about the vulnerability of above-the-ground fuel tanks to attacks — so the Navy built the tank farm named the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.

The facility has 20 steel-lined underground tanks, which can collectively store up to 250 million gallons (946 million liters) of fuel. The tanks are encased in concrete and stored inside cavities of a volcanic mountain ridge near Honolulu. Pipelines from the tanks run 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) inside a tunnel to fueling piers at Pearl Harbor.

The fuel in the tanks is used by the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard and Hawaii National Guard for ships and aircraft. The Navy has said Red Hill is vital to maritime security, regional stability, humanitarian assistance and continued prosperity in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

The Department of Defense has spent more than $200 million on updating the facility and conducting environmental testing since 2006, according to the Navy.

Highlights from the Navy briefing

In a Navy media briefing held Monday afternoon, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, said, “I'd like to first start off by apologizing to all of our service members, our DOD civilians, our contractors, our family members and the people Hawaii who've been affected by this horrible, horrible tragedy. Your health and well being is our top priority. I understand how disruptive this has been to your daily lives and I am committed to finding and fixing the root cause of this issue."

Michael M. Gilday, chief of Naval Operations added, “The first priority is to take care of everybody that’s been affected by this situation. That includes medical care, food and water. It also includes alternative housing if that’s required. 

“The second, as the secretary mentioned, is to restore water service as quickly as we can. But the key point here is that getting it right is more important than doing it fast because what we don’t want to do is to move people back into their homes and restore services prematurely before we have the utmost confidence that system so that we’re not going through this again. So to that important reason, it’s really critical that we do this in partnership with the Dept. of Health and the Board of Water Supply, both of whom have been extraordinary in reaching out to us and colloborating with us, and giving us candid feedback on what we’re doing right and what we’re not doing right. And we honestly welcome that.”

Del Toro said he has visited Red Hill and is learning about possible causes to determine ways to prevent this from happening again. "Well, we are very close to determining the root cause of the situation. There is an ongoing investigation that is being led by U.S. Pacific Fleet into the cause of the incident. Once that investigation is complete, we will review those findings and adjust our operating procedures as necessary."

"I just want to add there's two things we have to get right," said Gilday. "One of them is safety of people, the second is safety of the environment and the third is national security."

In response to a reporter about permanently shutting down the Red Hill tanks, Del Toro responded that they’re looking at options in the very near future before he leaves Hawaii. He said he needs more time to meet with additional groups and look at additional facts before making a determination of what steps to take in the near term.

When asked about the lack of transparency, Del Toro said, “I know there are concerns that we have not been transparent with the results of our testing and procedures.” He said the results of samples are being posted to their website that everyone has access to. “What I do know, for as long as I’ve been here, there has been no lack of transparency. We have been communicating as much as we can and informing people as quickly as we can. We’re completely committed to transparency.”

In response to the question about rebuilding trust with the public, Del Toro said, "I think we rebuild it one day at a time, one individual at a time, one situation at a time, by always doing the right thing. We are committed to rebuilding this trust, to doing everything we can to try to fix the problem."