The potential threat to Honolulu's water supply lurking underground

TL;DR

The underground fuel storage facility at Red Hill in Pearl Harbor has leaked jet fuel into the drinking water, putting the health and safety of a million people at risk.

Transcript

60 Minutes Overtime we live on an island we have limited freshwater resources we need to take care of those resources if they're contaminated by a facility like Red Hill we all suffer the consequence of that this week on 60 Minutes we report on an environmental and Public Health crisis at Hawaii's Pearl Harbor for decades there an underground facil... Read More

Key Insights

• ⛽ Red Hill's underground fuel storage facility in Pearl Harbor has caused an environmental and public health crisis due to a recent jet fuel leak.
• 💦 The volume and proximity of the fuel storage facility to a drinking water aquifer puts a million people at risk in the Honolulu metropolitan area.
• ⛽ The geology of the area, including lava tubes and fractures, complicates the movement of fuel, making contamination unpredictable.
• ⛽ The absence of a drinking water standard for fuel and the presence of additives in the jet fuel adds to the health concerns.
• 😚 Honolulu's city officials are requesting $1.2 billion from the federal government to replace the well closest to Red Hill.
• 🥇 The Native Hawaiian culture places great value on freshwater resources, and the current situation threatens this precious natural resource.
• 🏛️ Building trust requires action from the US Navy, such as actively locating and cleaning up the fuel rather than just monitoring for contamination.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the capacity of the Red Hill facility and why is the leak a concern?

The Red Hill facility can store 250 million gallons of jet fuel, and the recent leak has contaminated the drinking water. The facility's location above the water table poses a direct risk to the Honolulu metropolitan area's water supply.

Q: Could past leaks at Red Hill affect the Honolulu water supply in the future?

Yes, past leaks, including a 27,000-gallon leak in 2014, raise concerns about future contamination of the Honolulu water supply. The sheer volume of fuel stored near a drinking water aquifer puts a million people at risk.

Q: How does the geology of the area contribute to the movement of fuel and potential contamination?

The presence of lava tubes, fractures, and areas between lava flows makes it difficult to predict how the fuel would spill and move around. There's a concern that fuel could also flow across the valley toward wells on the other side, despite the Navy's assurance that it would flow toward the ocean or Pearl Harbor.

Q: What are the potential health effects of ingesting jet fuel?

Ingesting jet fuel can have unknown health effects since it is not regulated by the USCPA and lacks a drinking water standard. Jet fuel is a mixture of different chemicals, including additives to prevent freezing, which raises further concerns.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Red Hill underground facility in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, has leaked thousands of gallons of jet fuel into the drinking water.

• The facility has the potential to store 250 million gallons of fuel and is built into porous volcanic rock.

• Past leaks and the possibility of fuel still trapped in the rock pose a significant risk to the water supply and public health.