Report: Navy Mismanagement Led To Red Hill Water Contamination Disaster
UPDATED: The federal inspector general found numerous failures in the Navy鈥檚 handling of fuel, water and toxic 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥澛燼t Pearl Harbor. Congressional representatives called the Navy’s conduct “outrageous and unacceptable.”
A new military report released Thursday blames the fuel contamination of Pearl Harbor鈥檚 drinking water on Navy mismanagement at the Red Hill fuel depot and leaders鈥 failure to prepare for leaks.
In a trio of reports, the Department of Defense inspector general outlined numerous shortcomings behind the 20,000-gallon fuel leak that sickened Pearl Harbor water users three years ago. It found military leaders , were not prepared to prevent or respond to fuel releases, and were intended to protect the nearby water well.
As a result, the Navy contaminated a water system used by more than 90,000 people living and working around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. More than 6,000 men, women and children sought medical care for diarrhea, vomiting, vertigo and other ailments. Some who used the water say they remain sick to this day, struggling with symptoms such as rashes, neurological issues and seizures.
Disaster response and the subsequent effort to close Red Hill has cost taxpayers more than $2 billion.
Army Maj. Amanda Feindt, whose family was sickened after drinking and bathing in fuel-tainted water, said the reports validate what impacted families already knew.
“This is the government saying: We messed up,” she said.
The inspector general also faulted Red Hill鈥檚 managers for their that leaked at Red Hill four times between 2019 and 2022. In the first three incidents, military officials were not able to show they properly reported or cleaned up those spills, according to the new report. The Aqueous Film Forming Foam, or AFFF, contains so-called 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥 known as PFAS that don鈥檛 break down in the environment and pose serious health risks even in small quantities.
The inspector general made 38 recommendations, including appointing a single accountable fuel leader for the military base, conducting a review of leak detection systems and updating response plans.
The office is also calling for a review to determine if anything illegal occurred in the installation of Red Hill鈥檚 $50 million fire suppression system. The contractors used PVC instead of steel, as required by the contract specifications. Military investigators previously identified that decision, which the Navy agreed to, as a factor that contributed to the fuel leak.
The military should determine whether any laws, regulations or contracting requirements were violated or funds wasted and 鈥渢ake appropriate action based on the results of the review,鈥 the report said.
To prevent similar disasters from happening elsewhere, the inspector general said the Navy should study other locations where its infrastructure poses a threat to drinking water and develop plans to mitigate risks to those water systems.
Hawaii’s congressional delegation requested the inspector general evaluation. In a statement on Thursday, Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono and Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda said the reports make clear the military failed to properly manage fuel and water operations at Red Hill and Joint Base Peal Harbor-Hickam for decades.
鈥淚t鈥檚 outrageous and unacceptable,” they said. 鈥淭he Navy must take full responsibility for its failures and immediately implement the recommendations from the Inspector General in order to address the ongoing impacts to public health and the environment.”
The delegation said it would continue to provide oversight over the Navy and Department of Defense to ensure they fully comply with the reports’ recommendations.
In a statement, the Navy said the reports align with previous evaluations of the contamination event and support corrective actions that are already underway.
“We appreciate the insights provided by the Inspector General’s evaluation and will continue to work diligently to address recommendations to enhance public trust,” the Navy statement said.
Red Hill: An Engineering Marvel?
Built during World War II, Red Hill is made up of 20 gigantic underground tanks connected by miles of pipelines and tunnels. With a capacity of 250 million gallons of fuel, it was long considered the military鈥檚 largest gas station, serving ships and airplanes alike, and was held up by the military as an engineering marvel.
Its position above Oahu鈥檚 aquifer, the island鈥檚 primary drinking water source, had caused concern over the years, particularly after a leak of 27,000 gallons in 2014. However, the Navy maintained that incident was a fluke and the facility was safe.
Two back-to-back leaks, in May and November 2021, shattered that illusion. Hundreds of military families were sickened and packed public meetings to express their outrage about the leak and what they felt were the military鈥檚 efforts to downplay it.
Indeed, the Navy initially fought to keep Red Hill in operation, but in March 2022, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered its closure. By the end of 2023, the Navy had removed the majority of the fuel from Red Hill and spread it out among locations in West Oahu, California and the Philippines.
Thousands of military family members sued the federal government in 2022 over the debacle and are awaiting a ruling from a federal judge who will determine monetary damages.
Feindt’s family is part of that lawsuit. In the last three years, Feint, her husband and their two young children have attended some 600 medical appointments for gastrointestinal, neurological, behavioral and respiratory problems.
Aside from a court judgement, she would like to see the Navy officials responsible for the Red Hill debacle be punished. The only such discipline the Navy has announced is the censure of three retired officers. A letter of censure does not involved any loss of pay or rank.
“I hope this report will serve as the basis for a whole lot of accountability, whether that be criminal or administrative,” she said. “If this report doesn鈥檛 produce accountability, I don’t know what the hell else will.”
With most of the fuel removed from Red Hill, the Navy is now working to remove residual fuel and sludge from the tanks and pipelines and permanently close the facility by 2027. The Navy has pledged Red Hill will never again be used to store fuel.
You can read each of the three Inspector General reports here:
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