City Council, state lawmakers unite to address contaminated water
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021
City Council, state lawmakers unite to address contaminated water
Navy pressed for answers, transparency, solutions
HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I ̶ In a joint news conference with the Āliamanu Military Reservation housing area as a backdrop, Honolulu City Councilmembers Radiant Cordero and Carol Fukunaga joined with state legislative colleagues to call on the Navy to provide immediate relief for military and civilian residents affected by petroleum-tainted water in their homes, schools and places of business.
Councilmember Fukunaga noted that the Council and the Honolulu Board of Water Supply have been closely monitoring developments involving the Navy’s underground fuel storage tanks at Red Hill for years. “We stand here today in the midst of a contested-case hearing the Sierra Club and Board of Water Supply has brought. And so we are hopeful that this new set of circumstances is something that brings us all together so we can find solutions as quickly as possible with our state, county and federal counterparts,” she said.
The breadth of the contamination remains unclear, but the impact to the lives of residents in military housing areas is being felt daily.
“The reason why we are all standing here, is the weight of concerns from our constituents,” said Councilmember Cordero. “They are fighting for their basic necessities. Almost five days in, and there are no answers from the Navy on how they can bathe their children, wash their dishes or do their laundry, and basically focus on the lives they need to lead.”
Councilmember Cordero and Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters have introduced a bill to require any operator of large, underground storage tanks to obtain a permit from the City; and further, that no permit will be issued unless the operator can demonstrate that the tank system will not leak any regulated substance into the environment during its operating life.
The gathered officials are working locally to try and get facilities approved for affected residents to have access to hygiene facilities, such as at local schools; they will approach the visitor industry to explore possible respite accommodations; further possibilities also will be discussed with Congressional leaders. It was also announced that the Secretary of the Navy will be traveling to Hawai‘i in the coming days in response to the water contamination crisis.
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