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Contaminants found in Hawaii water after Navy’s purification efforts
Mar 2, 12:01 PM
As some military families in Hawaii continue to press for testing of water in more homes, officials this weekend released water test results showing higher-than-acceptable levels of petroleum and other contaminants in key areas — including lead in the water at an outdoor utility sink at a child development center.
Meanwhile, residents were questioning the visit of Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro Feb. 25-28, described in a Navy press release, where Del Toro met with about a dozen families in a town hall. On the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Facebook page, families wanted to know why there was no announcement ahead of time about a town hall. They also questioned how families were chosen for the limited town hall, and asked why the town hall wasn’t offered on Facebook Live like past events.
On Feb. 26, Navy officials reported finding higher levels of lead in a sample that came from a child development center at the former Submarine Base Pearl Harbor. The sample from an outdoor utility sink tested positive for lead at a level of 49 parts per billion. The Environmental Protection Agency says a level of lead higher than 15 parts per billion indicates a potential threat to human health and may require future study.
The finding was one of eight announced by the Navy on Feb. 26 of contaminants found in the water that the Navy has worked for weeks to decontaminate. These are comprehensive tests for many contaminants, to include fuel, and have been part of the process the Navy has undertaken to flush the Navy water system, including the distribution system as well as the homes and facilities, following contamination.
About 9,000 households have been affected by the fuel-tainted water in the Navy water system. As of March 2, the water in four out of 19 neighborhoods has been cleared as safe for residents to use.
“Remediating this situation is a heavy lift,” said Del Toro, in a press release about his visit last weekend. “Many of our service members, civilians and families have been living in hotels since December or receiving bottled water for drinking, bathing, and cleaning in their homes. I want to personally thank them all for their patience through this unfortunate situation. Our teams are working around the clock to properly fulfill the needs of every family affected and we must continue to press forward until we have established a new normal that is better than before.”
Some residents questioned the limited town hall mentioned in a Navy press release after the event. “I’m confused, how were these families even chosen that he saw? Why didn’t he hold a publicized event like last time? This seems shady on all levels,” wrote one resident on Facebook.
Residents are calling for an in-person town hall with Navy officials. Daily water updates have been providing information and answering questions emailed from residents or posted on Facebook, but it’s not an interactive discussion.
Navy officials said there is no transcript or recording of the townhall.
“It was intended to be an intimate conversation between the Secretary and those families who attended,” said Navy spokesman Capt. Jereal Dorsey.
He added that those who attended volunteered through their commands, and their names were provided to Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam leaders, who helped coordinate the meeting.
“Due to space limitations not all who volunteered were able to attend,” Dorsey said.
A dozen families affected by the water crisis attended, including a mix of Navy, Air Force and civilian personnel who live in the various neighborhoods, he added. Topics included Temporary Lodging Allowance reimbursement, the testing and flushing process, health care concerns and a variety of other concerns.
When Del Toro visited Hawaii and held a town hall for families Dec. 5, hundreds of people attended in person and virtually. During the event, they grilled senior leaders about the causes and the response to the water crisis. At that Dec. 5 town hall, Del Toro apologized to the families and pledged to fix the problem.