Red Alert
By: Raiden Silva
Even though you've only heard about the Red Hill Oil leak recently, it’s been happening for years. Since around the 1940’s an estimated 200,000 gallons of fuel have leaked from the Red Hill Facility into the surrounding environment. This includes the major leaks that had happened in Jan 2014, May 2021, Nov 2021. But no recently it has infected our water system which is the reason the Board of Water Supply shut down the Halawa shaft, a major water well. The Military after a lot of backlash is forced to shut down and de-fuel the Red Hill Facility. But the real question is how long will it take before we get back to normal?
For years thousands of people were poisoned by the US Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, yet over 100 million gallons of fuel remain in the tanks every day threatening the safety of Oʻahu’s drinking water supply and life as we know it. The first record Red Hill Fuel Storage leak dates back to 1943. From then till present day an estimated 200 thousand gallons of fuel has leaked into the surrounding environment. A study by the navy themselves, cites a 27.6% chance that the facility could leak up to 30,000 gallons of fuel every year. The study also reveals that the tanks could have chronic leaks, releasing upwards of 5,800 gallons of fuel annually.
With the leak affecting the environment the Sierra Club started to get involved in 2017 and is still present in the Red Hill event. The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization and their mission is to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources. In 2017 the club sued the Hawaiʻi Department of Health over the department’s exemption of the Red Hill tanks from underground storage tank regulations. The Environmental Court ordered the Health Department to update their regulations. In 2021 the Sierra Club and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply challenged the Navy to permit operations to the Red Hill tanks because it failed to prove that the tanks wouldn't leak, will not affect Oahu's groundwater, or demonstrate a practical tank upgrade to prevent leaks. They also made sure that the Department of Health held the Navy accountable and shut down the Red Hill Facility.