Pentagon shuts down leaking U.S. Navy fuel tank facility in Hawaii
CBSN
The Pentagon has shut down a leaking U.S Navy fuel tank facility in Hawaii after the tank contaminated drinking water for thousands of Hawaii residents, the Defense Department announced Monday. The Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility will be defueled as soon as possible, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a letter Monday, citing modern fueling needs that have rendered the facility obsolete.
Built in Oahu in 1943, the facility is made up of 20 steel-lined underground tanks, which can hold up to 250 million gallons of fuel. But the tank was built directly above an aquifer responsible for 20% of Honolulu's drinking water, according to the Associated Press.
According to Austin, the Secretary of the Navy and Director of the Defense Logistics Agency will provide a 12-month plan to defuel the facility by May 31, which will include "environmental remediation" to clean the water the fuel leaked into.
