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The U.S. Navy plans to wear down the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility, a massive World War II-era tank farm run by the Army in the hills above Pearl Harbor, after an investigation revealed multiple errors and mismanagement caused the fuel to seep into the water in the Pearl Harbor faucet. last year.
The Hawaii Department of Health on Thursday released a Navy investigation that found that mismanagement and human error caused the fuel to leak from the facility to a well that supplied water to the home and agents. in and around Pearl Harbor. Thousands of people were poisoned and the families of the military were forced to evacuate their homes.
FILE – In this photo from December 23, 2021, the U.S. Navy, Rear Admiral John Korka, commander of the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) and chief of civil engineers, leads the experts in Navy and civilian water quality recovery through the tunnels of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. A Navy investigation published on Thursday, June 30, 2022 revealed that poor management and human error caused the fuel to seep into the water of the Pearl Harbor faucet last year, poisoning thousands of people and forcing the families of the military to evacuate their homes to hotels. The investigation is the first detailed account of how aircraft fuel from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, a World War II-era massive military tank farm on the hills above Pearl Harbor, leaked into a well that supplied water to homes and offices. in and around Pearl Harbor. (1st Class Mass Communication Specialist Luke McCall / US Navy via AP, file)
“Red Hill should be closed as soon as possible and we fully hope that the Navy will pool all available resources to disable and disable the facility,” Deputy Director of Environmental Health Kathleen Ho said in a statement. “However, with the major repairs needed and the Navy’s history of spills from unsafe pipelines, our first priority remains to ensure that all wear and tear activities are carried out safely for the good of the people and the environment. Hawaii environment. “
The report listed a number of errors from May 2021, when the operator’s error caused a pipe to rupture and 21,000 gallons of fuel to be spilled when transferred between tanks. The fuel was spilled on a fire extinguishing line, sat there for six months and then spilled again when a car crashed into it in November.
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FILE – Aerial lights illuminate a tunnel inside Red Hill’s underground fuel storage facility in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on January 26, 2018. A Navy investigation published on Thursday, June 30, 2018 2022 revealed that poor management and human error caused the fuel to go inside. Pearl Harbor tap water last year poisoned thousands of people and forced military families to evacuate their homes to hotels. The investigation is the first detailed account of how aircraft fuel from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, a World War II-era massive military tank farm on the hills above Pearl Harbor, leaked into a well that supplied water to homes and offices. in and around Pearl Harbor. (US Navy via AP, file)
Some 6,000 people were treated for nausea, headaches, rashes and other illnesses, according to the report. The army moved some 4,000 mostly military families to hotels for months while they waited for the water to be safe again.
The report said the military did not recognize the gravity of the situation.
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In this photo provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this 1942 Navy photo shows miners building one of the 20 fuel tanks at the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility in the United States. Defense Logistics Agency at Pearl Harbor Joint Base, Hawaii, which are connected by one mile. long tunnel. A Navy investigation published on Thursday, June 30, 2022 revealed that poor management and human error caused the fuel to seep into the water of the Pearl Harbor faucet last year, poisoning thousands of people and forcing the families of the military to evacuate their homes to hotels. The investigation is the first detailed account of how the aircraft’s fuel from the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility, a massive World War II-era military fun tank farm in the hills above Pearl Harbor, leaked into a well that supplied water to homes and offices. in and around Pearl Harbor. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers via AP)
The adm. Sam Paparo, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, told reporters at a news conference that the Navy was trying to get away from it. He called it an ongoing process “to be real with ourselves” and “to be honest about our shortcomings.”
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“The lack of critical thinking, intellectual rigor and self-assessment on the part of key leaders at crucial moments exemplified a culture of complacency and demonstrated a lack of professionalism that demands the highly consequential nature of fuel operations.” , says the report.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Lorraine Taylor is the editor of Fox News. News tips can be sent to lorraine.taylor@fox.com or Twitter @LorraineEMT.