Task force: 99.5% of fuel has now been removed from Red Hill underground storage tanks
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Joint Task Force Red Hill says crews have now removed approximately 99.5% of fuel from the underground fuel storage facility.
That equates to about 103.5 million gallons of fuel.
Officials said fuel in the “tank mains” is now at the seven foot level.
Special Section: Navy Water Crisis
The next step in the defueling process is to remove any remaining useable fuel.
Pending regulatory approval, that work is expected to begin Dec. 4.
The joint task force said it is slightly ahead of schedule in work to remove fuel from the tanks and is in talks with the EPA and state to potentially accelerate the gravity defueling timeline.
The military pledged to empty the World War II-era Red Hill underground fuel storage tanks following a leak in 2021 that tainted the Navy’s water system and sickened thousands.
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