HONOLULU — State and city leaders issued a unified statement on Red Hill at a signing ceremony Tuesday at the State Capitol, calling for remediation of Oahu’s main aquifer and an integrated approach to resolving the water-contamination crisis.
The statement was signed by Gov. Josh Green, House Speaker Scott Saiki, Senate Majority Leader Ron Kouchi, Honolulu Major Rick Blangiardi, Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters, Board of Land and Natural Resources Chair Dawn Chang, state Department of Health Director Kenneth Fink, Honolulu Board of Water Supply Manager and Chief Engineer Ernest Lau and University of Hawaii President David Lassner.
Legislators from both chambers were also on hand for the ceremony.
“All of us in leadership positions — whether government, community organizations and, of course, the military — have to work together to ensure the water and the land at Red Hill and the aquifer under it, will be remediated properly and expeditiously,” Green said. “Clean water for future generations must be our shared goal.”
Members of the House Special Committee on Red Hill drafted the four-paragraph statement with input from community advocates. The seven-member committee — which focuses on the containment, treatment, and prevention of water-quality issues related to Red Hill — was initially convened by the House December 2021 after a leak of thousands of gallons of jet fuel from the Red Hill Bulk Storage Facility contaminated the water system serving hundreds of families living on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and nearby areas.
“Aquifer remediation should be undertaken by a guided policy document that describes our goals, the implementation process, roles, guidelines and regulatory framework as an agreement between the State of Hawaii and the federal government,” the statement declared. “Development of the policy and the remediation effort itself will benefit from constructive and timely public engagement.”
The parties plan to meet over the next three to four months to develop a blueprint for how to address the Red Hill situation and ensure clean water for the future. The meeting will include public input.
“It cannot be overstated that what is at stake, regarding the quality and purity of our aquifer, is the health and wellbeing of all of our people living on Oahu now and for future generations,” Blangiardi said. “There is no greater priority.”
Lau said the Board of Water Supply supports defueling the remaining 104 million gallons of fuel “quickly and safely,” as well as the shutdown and dismantling of the facility.
“However, the work does not stop there,” he said. “Remediation of the aquifer and environment must also be a top priority. The petroleum and PFAS chemicals now in the groundwater and environment must be cleaned up if we are to be sure of our water’s purity and safety for generations to come. The military must be held accountable and responsible to this until it is done, for as long as it takes, and regardless of cost.”
Kathleen Ho, the DOH deputy director of environmental health, echoed Lau’s call for accountability.
“Throughout our response to the Red Hill crisis, we have prioritized the health of our aquifer,” she said. “We need the Navy to feel the same sense of urgency that we do to remediate the damage caused by Red Hill. The Navy is responsible for this crisis — and we will continue to hold them accountable as we work with stakeholders on all levels to create a robust plan to restore and protect our aquifer."
Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii.
