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Navy reports tank cleaning and monitoring progress; EPA and DOH outline oversight and EDWM results
Summary
Navy closure task force described tank ventilation, pressure washing, GAC pilot reactivation planning and groundwater monitoring; DOH and EPA outlined oversight steps, described extended drinking water monitoring and noted no JP‑5 detections in post‑event drinking water sampling.
The Navy told the Fuel Tank Advisory Committee it has made measurable progress on decommissioning and environmental monitoring at the Red Hill facility while regulators said they are actively overseeing the closure process.
Rear Admiral Mark Williams said the Navy has ventilated and pressure‑washed multiple tanks, installed perimeter air monitoring, and removed nearly 949 gallons of recoverable residual fuel and 178 gallons of sludge from entered tanks so far. "Since we started the ventilation operations in May 2024, there have not been any elevated volatile organic readings or VOCs," he said, adding that the closure task force has posted an interactive dashboard and mobile app showing real‑time progress.
The Navy also described plans to systematically retire more than 10 miles of pipeline, with cleaning to start in spring and removal starting in the fall; pipeline removal is currently scheduled for completion in 2028. The Navy said it installed 12 granular activated carbon (GAC) tanks as a pilot at the Halawa shaft in coordination with DOH and plans reactivation only after DOH approval and public notice.
Commander Ben Dunn summarized environmental work including site assessment, groundwater and soil vapor monitoring, ecological monitoring of Halawa Stream, and a soil vapor extraction pilot. He said the Navy has collected more than 16,000 drinking‑water samples since November 2021 and that the extended drinking water monitoring (EDWM) and long‑term monitoring efforts have not detected JP‑5 in the joint‑base drinking water system.
Joanna Seto (Hawaii DOH) and Matt Cohen (EPA) detailed regulatory oversight under DOH’s May 2022 emergency order and EPA’s 2023 administrative consent order. EPA noted it inspected the Navy drinking‑water system in June 2024 and has reviewed split samples that confirmed Navy results; EPA and DOH are reviewing closure plans, pipeline removal plans and site assessment work plans as they are submitted.
Committee members raised technical questions about containment during pipeline cuts, how pressure‑wash wastewater (Tank 311) is treated, and public access to data. Navy and DOH staff said wastewater is pretreated by a permitted commercial facility on Oahu and then discharged to the municipal wastewater plant; relevant monitoring data are posted on the Navy’s Safe Waters site and on agency document libraries.
