Investigation underway following leak at Navy’s Red Hill fuel storage facility

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The US Navy said they are investigating a leak at its Red Hill fuel storage facility after a mixture of water and fuel was released from a drain line.

Officials said about 14,000 gallons of fuel and water leaked from a pipe for the facility’s fire suppression system. The spill occurred in a tunnel about a quarter mile downhill from the fuel tanks. The pipe is not connected to the main tanks or fuel pipes.

The Navy said crews responded to the leak on Saturday after 5 p.m. and notified the state Department of Health. Officials said the leak has since been contained and transferred to an above ground storage tank.

The recent leak raises concerns as the facility is located about 100 feet above Oahu’s main aquifer, which supplies drinking water to most of the urban core.

However, at this time, officials said water is safe to drink.

Meanwhile, this leak is just the latest issue linked to the Navy’s massive, WWII-era fuel facility.

In May, more than 1,600 gallons of jet fuel leaked from a pipeline. The Navy blamed an operator for failing to properly close valves.

Another investigation is underway to see if the military covered up a leak from a pipe at Red Hill. Thousands of gallons of fuel reportedly ended up near the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center in 2020.

And in 2014, 27,000 gallons of jet fuel leaked from an underground tank.

The Navy said it has always maintained that drinking water was never contaminated.

Related Coverage:

• State: Navy has not shown Red Hill fuel tanks safe from possible ‘significant’ future leaks
• Congressional delegation calls on Navy to be more transparent about fuel leak
• Sierra Club sues state to get records on fuel leak at Navy’s Red Hill facility

This story will be updated.

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