BWS: Proposed EPA order on Red Hill lacks clear timelines, strict penalties

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Honolulu Board of Water Supply continues to review the draft administrative consent order between the EPA and military, which was recently released for public comment.

The board said it’s “extremely disappointed” by the EPA’s proposed consent order for the shutdown of Red Hill. They say the consent order lacks details, clear timelines, strict penalties, and public transparency.

The agency says it was not consulted by the EPA or the military and says the proposal does not go far enough to establish a firm schedule for defueling and closing the facility.

They also say it does not mention the latest release of toxic fire fighting foam.

“The defueling, permanent closure of, and the toxin releases at the Red Hill facility call for immediate action, complete transparency, and independent and impartial third-party scrutiny, not the same failed policies and oversight practices that led to the contamination of our irreplaceable sole-source groundwater aquifer,” the Board of Water Supply said, in a statement.

The EPA is planning an in-person public meeting in mid-January and accepting written comments through Feb. 6. After that, they’ll decide whether to finalize or modify the order.

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