The task force assigned to defuel the Red Hill depot in Hawaii that leaked thousands of gallons of jet fuel into the surrounding area in 2021 said Tuesday that it had drained 3.5 million gallons of fuel in the first day of work.
The progress update was released on a Joint Task Force-Red Hill app meant to inform the public on the defueling after pre-operation checks performed Monday. The task force has roughly 100 millions gallons left to remove.
The military fuel contaminated local drinking water when it spilled in 2021, forcing families from their homes, angering the local population, and sparking criticism of the Navy's initial response and communication with the public.
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The contamination affected roughly 93,000 service members and families at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and residents of Oahu where the bulk storage is located. The number of people who have claimed to be sickened by the contamination has increased by thousands since September.
"Our affected military family and civilian clients hope the defueling will proceed safely. This is the tremendous result of the advocacy of affected families united with local community leaders," Kristina Baehr, an Austin, Texas-based attorney representing more than 7,000 claimants, told Military.com on Monday, the day that the defueling was scheduled to commence.
"Our clients now wish that the government would commit this level of response to their Red Hill injuries and long-term health problems," she added.
She also cautioned residents from continuing to use Navy water lines, even now, two years after the initial spill.
After the spill, residents said that they've experienced rashes, headaches, seizures and thyroid issues. The lawsuit states that families fear there may be long-term health issues associated with contaminant ingestion, such as cancer and neurological issues.
Meanwhile, the military said it has worked for months to plan the defueling. Last week, it released safety measures that were considered for the defueling, such as identifying emergency evacuation routes, 24-hour emergency fire response, and around-the-clock monitoring of the defueling process.
Last month, the secretary of the Navy censured three retired admirals who were responsible for overseeing Red Hill's fuel storage when it spilled. Over the weekend, the joint task force held a blessing in advance of the ceremony.
"It's been a long road getting to this point, and there's still more work ahead, but after months of coordinated efforts by our teams and partners, we are ready to begin defueling," Vice Adm. John Wade, the Joint Task Force-Red Hill commander, said Saturday.
"As we begin the critical phase of relocating the fuel from Red Hill, it is our great honor to observe a Hawaiian tradition by receiving this blessing for the safe defueling of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility," he said.
-- Drew F. Lawrence can be reached at drew.lawrence@military.com. Follow him on X @df_lawrence.
