January, Hawaii Public Radio | By Associated Press, Sophia McCullough The U.S. Navy will comply with Hawaiʻi's order to remove fuel from a massive underground storage tank facility near Pearl Harbor blamed for contaminating drinking water, officials said Tuesday. The Navy is making preparations to defuel the facility, Rear Adm. Blake Converse said during a U.S. House Armed Services … Read More...
Rainfall & Drought
Climate change has brought about a change in rainfall patterns which is generally decreasing rain in formerly dry areas and increasing rainfall in the wet areas. We need to find ways to take advantage of these new patterns by capturing more of the rainfall and diverting it to the dryer areas.Rainfall Issues
The Aquifers
Much of Hawaii's pristine fresh water comes from its volcanic stone aquifers. The increasing demands for water from Hawaii's increased population and tourist industry, combined with rising ocean levels have shrunk the supply of fresh water in the aquifers, particularly on Oahu.Groundwater Issues
Rivers & Streams
The flow of fresh water streams and rivers in Hawaii have also significantly declined. At the same time, shrinking government funding has curtailed stream level tests and sampling so the decline is uncharted.Rivers & Streams Issues
Water Conservation
Water conservation is the key to preserving Hawaii's dwindling freshwater supply. Many mainland cities have successfully used new methods of conservation as part of their future water plans. Water rates need to be utilized which encourage users that are conserving water at the same time as punishing water wasters.Conservation Issues
News & Research
How The Red Hill Fuel System Has Threatened Oahu’s Drinking Water For Decades
12 December, Civil Beat, Christina Jedra: (Comment: This is a good historical summary of the Red Hill history) As Oahu residents reel from the news that military families’ drinking water was contaminated with petroleum, and that water for the broader community is also at risk, scrutiny of the nearby Navy’s fuel facility is intensifying. But the crisis is not a surprise to many residents, … Read More...
Navy ‘confident’ that it’s found source of fuel leak into water system, but lawmakers are skeptical
10 December HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Samples collected by the state Health Department earlier this month at the Navy’s Red Hill water shaft found petroleum levels 66 to 350 times higher than the limits considered safe for drinking water, the state announced Friday. The results were the latest worrisome development in the contaminated water crisis, which has left dozens sick, displaced at least … Read More...
Hawaii governor joins call to suspend Red Hill fuel storage operation
6 December, HONOLULU (Tribune News Service) Peter Boylan — Gov. David Ige and Hawaii’s congressional delegation on Sunday called for the Navy to suspend its Red Hill fuel storage operation until its drinking water contamination crisis is handled. The Navy on Thursday said recent testing of its Red Hill well detected the presence of petroleum contaminants. Hundreds of military and nonmilitary … Read More...
Fearing Contamination, Honolulu Has Slowed Pumping At A Well Near Red Hill
Civil Beat, Christina Jedra, December 1 2021, As officials wait for answers about the source of petroleum contamination in the water near Red Hill, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply is pumping water from one of its wells, the Halawa shaft, at half the rate it normally does as a “precautionary measure,” the agency said on Wednesday. The water board typically pumps 10 million gallons per day … Read More...