House panel moves forward funding change for Board of Water Supply monitoring wells tied to Red Hill contamination

The House Water & Land Committee voted to pass House Bill 1367 with amendments that increase the potential number of monitoring wells the Honolulu Board of Water Supply may install to investigate contamination related to the Red Hill fuel facility.

The changes, adopted during the committee's decision-making on Feb. 11, direct staff to revise the bill so that funding may support “up to six” monitoring wells, remove specific dollar amounts from the bill text (to be noted in the committee report), and make technical style edits. Committee chairs deferred the bill’s effective date to 07/01/3000 for continued drafting.

The Board of Water Supply testified in strong support. Ernie Lau, Honolulu Board of Water Supply, told the committee the wells are intended to help “define the nature and extent of the contamination from the Navy’s Red Hill fuel tanks.” He urged a change from two to as many as six monitor wells and said the board would supplement state funds where needed. “Over its 80 year history, it's estimated between 644,000 to 1,900,000 gallons of fuel of various types may have leaked from this facility, including the latest spill of PFAS,” Lau said, referencing the November 2022 incident and noting roughly 1,300 gallons of concentrate liquid of firefighting foam were involved.

Members pressed for clarity on who pays for wells and whether military funding would cover the work. Lau said the U.S. Navy has installed dozens of monitoring wells and that the Board of Water Supply has already installed or is constructing several additional wells using its own and prior state funds; recent bids have come in “at over $3,000,000 per monitor well,” he said. Committee discussion acknowledged the Navy’s role but stressed the state and county responsibilities for protecting public water resources.

Why it matters: the Red Hill fuel tank complex and related leaks have been the focal point of public health and water-supply concerns in Honolulu. The committee’s amendment increases flexibility to expand monitoring while leaving final dollar figures and program details to the committee report and subsequent budget processes.

What’s next: committee staff will incorporate the “up to six” language, blank the appropriation amounts in the bill text (to be recorded in the committee report), adopt technical amendments for clarity, and proceed with the bill as amended.

Votes and formal action: Committee chairs recommended passing HB1367 with amendments; that recommendation was adopted in committee. The bill will proceed with the edits described above.