The Interagency Potable Water System Team announced tonight that the Navy has completed the initial flushing of the potable water distribution system lines serving Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and surrounding living areas.
Crews began flushing water distribution lines to the first of 19 neighborhood areas on Dec. 20 in response to fuel contamination believed to have come from the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility.
Although all 19 areas have been flushed at least once, the Navy said in a news release that additional flushing may be required if sampling results indicate it is necessary.
Once testing confirms that the distribution system meets specified criteria for potable water, homes and workplaces in each area will be flushed individually, according to the statement. The Navy said it plans to make third-party validated results available “as soon as possible.”
The interagency team, including the Department of Health, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Navy, and Army, was formed Dec. 17 to restore clean water to housing communities across the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and the Army.
In late November, residents of the Navy water system began reporting the smell of fuel or chemicals coming from their faucets and health symptoms including headaches, rashes, vomiting and diarrhea. The Navy later confirmed that one of its drinking water wells was contaminated with jet fuel, believed to have come from its Red Hill fuel facility.
Several thousand military families and an unknown number of non-military residents have been displaced from their homes as the Navy works to clean its drains and ensure the water is safe to drink.
For more information on what residents can expect during the residential flushing process, visit dvidshub.net/video/828665/home-flushing-process.