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The Honolulu Board of Water Supply and U.S. Navy say that tests show that aviation fuel leaking from the Red Hill Underground Storage Facility did not contaminate drinking wells.

Both the Navy and the Board of Water Supply will continue monitoring the wells to ensure the long-term safety of the water supply, according to a press release issued Tuesday.

City wells that had been shut down out of precaution are being reopened.

From a Navy press release:

Officials of the State Department of Health and the Navy are continuing to
work closely to ensure the drinking water remains safe. Among their efforts
is drawing up a comprehensive monitoring plan to ensure long-term safety.
Meanwhile, water samples are being drawn frequently to detect any presence
or movement of contaminants.

Test results from five drinking water wells in the vicinity taken by the
Honolulu Board of Water Supply (HBWS) have shown no fuel contamination. HBWS
is moving forward with its own monitoring plan of the drinking water that
has been approved by the State Department of Health. On confirmation of the
test results showing no fuel contamination, the HBWS drinking water wells
that were shut down as a precaution are being brought back into service as
of today.

Laboratory tests were conducted on water samples taken from various wells in
the area since a possible leak was detected on Jan. 13 by operators at the
70-year-old fuel storage facility. Best evidence indicates no more than
20,000 gallons – and possibly much less — of jet fuel leaked last week from
one of the 20 large-capacity tanks at Red Hill.

Tests on initial water samples taken after the possible leak was discovered
showed no presence of fuel in drinking water wells. Test results on samples
taken since then are pending, and accelerated sampling is continuing.

Draining of the fuel tank was completed Saturday morning. Now it must be
vented, a process that could take several weeks, before workers can enter it
to try to find the source of the leak.

— Sophie Cocke