Environmental activists urge shut down of Red Hill fuel storage facility
By Kristen Consillio
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HONOLULU (KITV) — Environmental activists argued the Navy’s suspension of its World War II-era fuel tanks at Red Hill is just a first step, but simply not enough to protect public health.
They said a suspension doesn’t necessarily solve the problem.
The Sierra Club of Hawaii is among many pushing to decommission the underground bulk fuel storage facility that’s been used to store jet fuel for almost 80 years. The nonprofit said unless it is shut down permanently, the threat to Oahu’s main source of drinking water still exists.
Sierra Club Director Wayne Tanaka said an even bigger disaster is looming and it’s only a matter of time.
“We still have the fact that there’s over 100-million gallons of fuel perched right above our drinking water aquifer,” Tanaka said. “What we’re seeing now is a catastrophe in itself. But what could happen in terms of a catastrophic, larger release, it would be almost unimaginable.”
There are currently 20 underground storage tanks at Red Hill. According to the Sierra Club, the tanks store 225-million gallons of fuel — a hundred feet above Oahu’s main aquifer.
Officials still don’t know how the fuel is leaking into the water system.
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