Honolulu shuts down Oahu’s largest water source due to contamination of Navy well near Pearl Harbor

news7g12/05/2021

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Honolulu shuts down Oahu's largest water source due to contamination of Navy well near Pearl Harbor

The Navy added that it was aware of concerns from residents in the affected vicinity of being exposed to contaminated water and reporting symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches and skin-related concerns.

The Navy isolated Red Hill last Sunday and sent samples for testing on Monday.

“The results of the Red Hill sample show petroleum hydrocarbons that are about 4 to 10 times lower than the Environmental Action Level (EAL) of the Hawaii Department of Health (EAL),” said a statement.

“The Navy is developing a plan to restore the drinking water system to EPA standards, identify how this contaminant entered the well, and repair the well,” the statement continued.

On Tuesday, when BWS heard about the closure of the well, it reduced pumping capacity by 50%, it said in a press release.

“We are extremely concerned that we were not immediately notified by the Navy of their Red Hill water shutdown,” BWS Director and Chief Engineer Ernest Lau said in a statement. adds that the Halawa shaft has been closed with “a lot of caution.”

“We have data showing that when they stopped pumping at Red Hill, the water started moving in the direction of the Halawa Shaft because we were pumping,” Lau said.

The Halawa shaft pumps 10 million gallons of water a day and supplies 20 percent of Honolulu’s water supply, BWS said.

Neighborhoods where pollution report including Catlin Park, Halsey Terrace, Radford Terrace, Doris Miller, Moanalua Terrace and Ohana Nui, the Navy said in a New information posted.

“The Commander, Hawaiian Naval District, has determined that a Temporary Lodging (TLA) is necessary for serving members and their dependents, as well as civilians living in housing affected by these relationships.” current water-related health or safety concerns,” the Navy said in its latest announcement update.

NS limited authorization for active-duty members and civilian employees living in self-identifying housing that are affected, according to the Navy.

The Coast Guard is investigating reports of an oil spill near the site of the October oil spill off the southern California coast.

Many fitness centers and swimming pools have been provided to residents in affected neighborhood take a shower.

“It is clear that the Navy has failed to manage its fuel operations, including Red Hill, to standards that protect the health and safety of the people of Hawaii,” said the state’s congressional delegation. said in a declare.

The mission asked the Navy to “immediately” identify, isolate, and remediate the problems that would allow the contamination to occur. They also urged the governor to request assistance from the Biden Administration.

“That includes a massive shift in organizational culture that has allowed too many accidents to happen without any accountability,” the statement said. continue. “We urge the governor to ask the president to declare a state of emergency as soon as possible so that the state has access to all available resources to create families and protect Hawaiians from leaks. leak in the future.”

U.S. Pacific Fleet Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Blake Converse said during a virtual town hall meeting of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam that the health and well-being “of the residents of our residences are in good health and well-being.” us and the state of Hawaii and their citizens” is the priority.

“Our second priority is to identify, isolate, and clean up the potable water system the military provides, and restore public confidence in that system to get you back to normal, back to normal. Go back home and drink clean water,” Converse added.

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