HONOLULU — The Board of Water Supply said it was pleased with the hearing officer’s Monday decision to uphold the Department of Health’s emergency order, which mandated the U.S. Navy’s Red Hill storage facility must be emptied of fuel.

What You Need To Know

  • The Board of Water Supply said it hoped the order to defuel would be finalized by Wednesday. The hearing officer’s recommendation will be considered by the Hawaii Department of Health Director, who will make the final decision

  • The Board of Water Supply Chief Engineer and Manager Ernie Lau said he is praying that the Navy will not continue to fight the order, but if necessary, that the BWS would continue to fight for the protection of Honolulu's water 

  • The emergency order does not call for the permanent removal of the fuel, which Lau said he doesn’t agree with

  • Lau said the worst-case scenario would be if the Navy refuses to move the fuel out of the Red Hill storage facility

The Board of Water Supply Chief Engineer and Manager Ernie Lau said at a media briefing on Tuesday that the hearing officer “correctly concluded” that the fuel tanks constitute “imminent peril to human health and the environment.” 

“The Navy should immediately comply with the Department of Health’s emergency order for the sake of our aquifer and if they have any hope of rebuilding trust with our community,” said Lau. 

Lau said he hoped the order would be finalized by Wednesday. The hearing officer’s recommendation will be considered by the Hawaii Department of Health Director, who will make the final decision. 

He said the Board of Water Supply was praying that the Navy would not continue to fight the order and that he hoped they would work to empty the fuel tanks with urgency. 

“We are going to be there to stay with this fight for the protection of our water resources and our for our community,” said Lau. “The Board of Water Supply will not give up.”

The hearing was held after the Department of Health issued an emergency order on Dec. 6 to drain the fuel tanks at the Navy’s Red Hill storage facility following contamination of the Navy’s water system, which had poisoned families living in military housing. The Navy fought the order during a hearing held on Dec. 21 and 22, in which the Board of Water Supply and Earthjustice — on behalf of the Sierra Club — intervened to join the Department of Health. 

The emergency order does not call for the permanent removal of the fuel, and Lau said he disagrees with that. 

“Given the latest developments, our position is that the fuel should be relocated to locations that don’t put our aquifer at risk,” said Lau.

“This is about environmental justice, and social justice for our community,” Lau added. “We need the Navy and the president to step up and to move that fuel out of there.” 

He also said the Environmental Protection Agency should be “much more aggressive in this situation.” 

“Unfortunately, the worst-case scenario is simply that the Navy refuses to move the fuel out of Red Hill, that they insist on continuing to use that facility for as long as they want to,” said Lau.

He said the Navy has said it wants to continue to use the facility until 2045.

“2045 is a long way away. It's a long time from now, and we cannot afford to wait,” said Lau.