It's almost 2022 and there's been a lot of news and information about water contamination from a leak at the Navy Red Hill fuel storage facility on Oʻahu. While clean-up efforts continue, the history and issues surrounding Red Hill began long before. These are the recent developments you need to know.
Tuesday marked the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Every year, military veterans return to Oʻahu to mark the occasion, but the passage of time means there are fewer people with firsthand memories. This year's commemoration could be the last time a large group of survivors is able to attend.
At least 30 survivors, and more than 120 World War II veterans, will be attending the 80th commemoration of the Pearl Harbor attack. The National Park Service says this year’s ceremony is invite-only in order to observe COVID safety guidelines. But this year is one of the most important for organizers.
Military families living near Pearl Harbor have complained for days of stomach pain, nausea and other health ailments after the Navy's water system became contaminated by petroleum. The issues may threaten one of Honolulu’s most important aquifers and water sources. The Navy says tests identified petroleum in a well that taps into an aquifer near the base.
Environmental groups are calling on President Joe Biden and military leaders to shut down tanks that provide an important fuel reserve for U.S. forces in the Pacific. The director of the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi told a rally and news conference that the Red Hill fuel storage tanks are an unacceptable threat to the drinking water of 400,000 Oʻahu residents.