Navy says tank cleaning, pipeline removal progressing at Red Hill; regulators continue oversight

The Navy Closure Task Force told the Fuel Tank Advisory Committee on April 15 that it has advanced tank ventilation and cleaning operations at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, installed additional groundwater monitoring wells and is preparing to remove and retire the facility’s pipelines.

Navy deputy commander Ralph “Lamarck” Williams said crews have completed ventilation of multiple tanks and that pressure-washing operations are under way. He reported the Navy has removed “949 hundred 49 gallons” of residual fuel and 78 gallons of sludge from tanks entered to date (transcript phrasing). The Navy also said it has installed air-monitoring stations and posts hourly air-quality monitoring during ventilation operations on its app and daily on the Closure Task Force website.

Why it matters: Red Hill supplies water to joint-base areas and is the center of the 2021 JP-5 releases that prompted statewide reviews of drinking-water safety and a multi‑agency cleanup. The Navy’s progress on physical decommissioning is the step that will allow regulators to move from facility closure to broader site assessment and cleanup of historical releases.

Navy update details - Tank operations and schedule: The Navy described a four‑step cleaning sequence it is using for each tank (ventilation/degassing; entry and scaffolding; pressure washing; quality verification) and said tanks 3, 5, 7 and 8 have been ventilated; pressure washing is complete on some tanks and validation reports for cleaned tanks have been submitted to DOH and EPA. The Navy gave a projected target to complete tank cleaning work in 2027. - Removed material and wastewater handling: Navy staff said residual fuel and sludges removed so far are captured and that pressure‑wash water from Tank 311 is collected and sent to a Department of Health–permitted wastewater pretreatment facility on the west side of Oahu (Pacific Commercial Services) where it is pretreated (oil/water separator and granular activated carbon) prior to discharge to the municipal wastewater treatment plant, per DOH’s explanation during Q&A. - Groundwater monitoring and model updates: The Navy reported completion of the 40th–46th groundwater monitoring well (transcript detail) and submission of an updated groundwater-flow model to DOH, EPA and the University of Hawaii; the model will be iterated as additional data arrive. The Navy said the University of Hawaii is conducting an independent model and a dye‑tracer study that will inform future model updates. - Pipeline removal and recycling: The Navy said it is preparing to clean and remove more than 10 miles of buried pipeline, with cleaning beginning in spring and removal starting in the fall. The Navy stated most pipe will be recycled on the U.S. mainland; removal was described in the briefing as a long, complex job with an anticipated completion timeframe discussed as 02/2028 in the presentation (transcript contained the string “02/1928,” which the Navy clarified as 2028 during discussion). - Water-supply measures: The Navy said it plans a pilot test of a GAC treatment system at the Aiea‑Halawa shaft and that reactivation of that shaft would only occur after meeting DOH conditions and after public notification. Navy and regulators said the extended drinking‑water monitoring program sampled nearly all homes served by the Joint Base Pearl Harbor‑Hickam system and that JP‑5 has not been detected in the routine drinking water monitoring program to date.

Regulatory oversight and next steps DOH and EPA described active oversight. EPA said its 2023 Administrative Consent Order and DOH’s May 2022 emergency order require closure plans, site assessment and remediation. DOH and EPA said they are reviewing the Navy’s pipeline removal plan, updated site assessment work plan and interim closure reports, and will oversee pipeline removal, tank interim closure inspections and, later, final closure reports.

Regulators emphasized parallel workstreams: (1) facility closure (tank operations and pipeline retirement), (2) site assessment to identify historical releases across the facility, (3) targeted site investigations where releases are known (for example, the 2021 release area), and (4) remedial design and implementation. EPA and DOH said they will continue frequent coordination meetings with the Navy and publish sampling and plan documents on their public libraries.

Public and technical concerns raised Committee members pressed the Navy and DOH on several points: where pressure-wash wastewater is treated and how it is monitored; what constitutes “robust containment” during pipeline cutting; the timing and public notice for reactivating wells such as Aiea‑Halawa; and how remedial options will be selected once the nature and extent of releases are defined.

What remains uncertain - Long‑term schedules and costs for remediation depend on the results of ongoing site assessment and investigation. - The groundwater flow model is described as a “living document” and will change as tracer and well data are added; the tracer study results remain incomplete.

Ending: The Navy said its interactive Closure Task Force app and the Closure Task Force website host hourly air monitoring and a document library. DOH and EPA said they will continue to post documents and schedule public events, including an EPA‑hosted community representation initiative meeting scheduled for April 24.