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For Immediate Release
February 1, 2022

Board of Water Supply Disappointed With Navy’s Decision to Appeal Department of Health’s Emergency Order

HONOLULU – The Board of Water Supply (BWS) is extremely disappointed with the U.S. Navy decision to appeal the Department of Health’s emergency order to defuel the Red Hill underground storage tanks.  After repeatedly assuring legislators, regulators, and the public that it would comply with the emergency order, the Navy’s decision underscores the reality that the Navy and Department of Defense gives priority to the operation of its leaking Red Hill facility over the health and safety of the people of Oahu. 

As was expressly and correctly decided by the Department of Health after a full and fair hearing on the emergency order, the Red Hill facility constitutes an imminent peril to human health and the environment and immediate action is necessary to protect our sole-source aquifer.  The BWS will continue to push the Navy to do the right thing – defuel the Red Hill facility and permanently relocate the fuel away from Oahu’s irreplaceable aquifer to protect the purity of our drinking water for present and future generations.

About the Board of Water Supply

The Board of Water Supply (BWS), a semi-autonomous agency of the City and County of Honolulu, manages Oahu’s municipal water resources and distribution system.  As the largest water utility in the State, the BWS serves approximately one million customers on Oahu.  The BWS embraces its mission of “Water for Life – Ka Wai Ola” – to provide a safe, dependable, and affordable water supply, now and into the future.  Uwē  ka lani, ola ka honua – “When the heavens weep, the earth lives.”  For more information, visit www.boardofwatersupply.com, follow @BWSHonolulu or like the BWS’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BWSHonolulu.

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Contact:

Kathleen Elliott-Pahinui
Information Officer
Honolulu Board of Water Supply
Phone: (808) 748-5319