ALOHA! PEARL HARBOR . . .Contaminated Groundwater Around Military Installations
One more report - from the non-continental United States - If this story sounds familiar, it’s because it is.
It’s also unacceptable.
America has a long and shameful history of water contamination across dozens of U.S. military bases.
In the short term, petroleum contamination can lead to headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, confusion, and loss of balance, and prolonged exposure has serious consequences. What we’ve learned from families impacted by water contamination at Lejeune three decades ago is that the damage done by contaminated water doesn’t stop at a diagnosis. And neither does their fight for justice.
“All they had to do was say: ‘We see that there’s a problem, we don’t know what it is and we’re going to do whatever it takes to find out and fix it.’ That’s all they had to do.
Hundreds of military families sickened by contaminated Pearl Harbor water
Key Honolulu aquifer may also be at risk as residents say they face stomach pain and headaches
Associated Press
Last modified on Fri 3 Dec 2021 16.10 EST
"Cheri Burness’s dog was the first to signal something was wrong with their tap water. He stopped drinking it two weeks ago. Then Burness started feeling stomach cramps. Her 12-year-old daughter was nauseous.
“It was just getting worse every day,” said Burness.
Burness’ husband is in the US navy. Their family is among hundreds of military families living near Pearl Harbor with similar complaints after the navy’s water system somehow became contaminated by petroleum.
The problems have afflicted one of the most important navy bases in the world, home to submarines, ships and the commander of US forces in the Indo-Pacific region, and they may even threaten one of Honolulu’s most important aquifers and water sources.
[...] After earlier leaks from Red Hill into the waters of Pearl Harbor, the Sierra Club of Hawaii spoke up. In an October reporting with the Honolulu Civil Beat, Marti Townsend, the Sierra Club of Hawaii’s Executive Director said, “That they can’t be forthcoming with the public and the Department of Health about active leaks means that we really can’t trust them when it comes to making the most protective decision possible about the Red Hill fuel tanks.”
That trust is critical for military families. You can’t focus on the mission when you’re worried about the water coming out of your tap. Military families should be able to turn on their tap and know the water you’re using to mix baby formula, hydrate your sick kids, cook with, drink, and fill up Fido’s bowl is safe. You shouldn’t even have to think about it.
The hazard to the JBPHH water supply should be addressed and removed, and the water must be tested on a regular basis. Families need to be made aware of any possible long-term health effects and the Navy must identify affected or at-risk families and be prepared to treat health problems that arise now or in the future.
[...] On Wednesday, Hawaii’s department of health said that a sample of navy tap water from an elementary school had tested positive for petroleum product. And on Thursday, the navy announced that tests had identified petroleum in its Red Hill well, which taps into an aquifer near the base. . ."
Rear Adm Blake Converse, Pacific Fleet deputy commander, told a town hall meeting on Thursday the navy had taken the Red Hill well offline on Sunday because it was the closest well to affected housing areas.
The navy will flush clean water through its distribution system to clear residual petroleum products from the water, Converse said, and will follow that procedure with testing to make sure the water meets Environmental Protection Agency drinking standards. The process could take four to 10 days, he said. The navy has also vowed to investigate how contaminants got into the well and prevent it from happening again, he said.
It’s still unclear how exactly the petroleum ended up in the water. But the navy on 22 November said a water and fuel mixture had leaked into a fire suppression system drain line in a tunnel at a massive fuel storage facility three miles inland of Pearl Harbor. The navy said it had removed about 14,000 gallons (53,000 liters) of the mixture, and said the liquid hadn’t leaked into the environment.
So far, the navy said, it had received calls about a fuel odor or physical ailments from 680 homes in navy housing and 270 in army housing on the navy’s water system. The department has started distributing bottled water and said Marines would set up showers and laundry facilities connected to clean water.
The army said it would help affected families move into hotels or new homes and the navy is working on a similar program. The navy is also setting up dedicated medical clinics. . ."
America has a long and shameful history of water contamination across dozens of U.S. military bases. 
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