Latest news with #HonoluluBoardofWaterSupply
Fox News
02-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Honolulu water board sues Navy for $1.2B over fuel leak that contaminated drinking water
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Navy, seeking more than $1 billion after the military branch released petroleum and other hazardous chemicals into Oʻahu, Hawaii's sole source of drinking water. During the incident, 27,000 gallons of toxic jet fuel stored in miles of underground tunnels leaked into the aquifer near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, affecting 93,000 people living near the military's strategic fuel storage facility, Red Hill. The Navy acknowledged responsibility for the environmental and human health crisis caused by the November 2021 jet fuel release, though the board alleges it has refused to accept responsibility for the $1.2 billion the BWS will incur to respond to the Navy's contaminant releases. Residents served by the Navy's water system allegedly suffered serious injuries from the incident, and the BWS claimed its ability to provide clean, safe, dependable water to Oʻahu residents continues to be severely impacted, according to a statement from BWS. Fox News Digital previously reported that some residents continue to suffer long-term symptoms, including Parkinson's disease and seizures. To protect against contamination of its own water sources following the spill, BWS shut down its Hālawa Shaft and the ʻAiea and Hālawa wells. It also implemented enhanced water quality testing, started planning for additional groundwater monitoring wells, and shifted to alternate water sources to make up for lost water supplies. The BWS, a semi-autonomous agency of the City and County of Honolulu, estimates the total cost of restoration, remediation and mitigation efforts at $1.2 billion. Board members said they "have a fiduciary responsibility to minimize the burden of these costs to the Oʻahu ratepayers," and will hold the Navy accountable for its failure to prevent or appropriately respond to the contaminant releases, according to a statement. The BWS told Fox News Digital the suit comes after an administrative Federal Tort Claims Act claim filed in October 2023 was denied by the Navy on Jan. 10 of this year. The statute of limitations for filing the complaint ends on July 10. "This is not an issue that will be solved quickly or cheaply," said BWS manager and chief engineer Ernest Lau. "Every action must be taken to protect the purity of Oʻahu's water, and it is only right that the Navy assume financial responsibility for its actions that put water purity and safety of everyone on Oʻahu at risk and caused harm to the BWS." BWS board chair Nāʻālehu Anthony, added litigation was the board's "last resort." "Litigation was our last resort and comes after months of futile negotiation with the Navy, an attempt to recover costs administratively under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) and the Navy's refusal to pay for any of the costs incurred by BWS, even while the Navy has publicly acknowledged its responsibility for this disaster and subsequent contaminant releases," Anthony said. "Our steadfast commitment to the protection of the purity of Oʻahu's water resources, and our obligation to our ratepayers for responsible fiscal management compelled us to take this action." As the largest water utility in Hawaii, the BWS serves about 1 million customers on O'ahu. In May, a federal judge awarded nearly $700,000 to more than a dozen families who claimed they got sick after the fuel leaked into the Navy drinking water system, according to a report from the Associated Press. More than 7,500 other military family members have pending lawsuits. The Navy did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Xeric plants could help Hawaii wildfire season
HONOLULU (KHON2) — It's Wildfire Community Preparedness Month, and folks can do a lot to protect their community and land. University of Hawaiʻi develops new map to detect wildfire risk The Honolulu Board of Water Supply encourages Oʻahu residents to grow the xeric plants that are used in Leeward vegetative firebreaks. 'One important tip is to make sure that there are no low-hanging branches, or dry or dead plant material around the home. To start, it's easiest to remove dry and dead material out to 5 feet from the home. Once that's done, though, continue to move outward – to even the scale of the neighborhood to really minimize the chance of fire spreading,' Board of Water Supply Community Relations Specialist Michele Harman said. May is also Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Awareness Month. They go hand-in-hand since invasive species, especially grasses, are responsible for increasing fire cycles in Hawaiʻi.'Many invasive grasses like fountain grass and guinea grass increase fire risk,' said Harman. 'BWS partners with organizations to help install green firebreaks – or kipuka, or islands of green plants that break up areas of fire-prone invasive grasses to decrease the intensity and spread of wildfire. These green firebreaks include culturally important plants that provide food, medicine, lei material, and native species habitat. Our partners, such as the Koʻolau and Waiʻanae Mountains Watershed Partnerships and Mohala i ka Wai have had great success growing xeric plants that hold space and stay green in invaded fire-prone ecosystems. A WMWP roadside firebreak helped stop a Waiʻanae fire from spreading in 2018. Since 2018, WMWP with their community volunteers have expanded their firebreaks, and the firebreaks are doing really well, despite overall low rainfall.' Harman added that the plants used in green firebreaks would make great choices for people to grow around their homes. 'There are a lot of great options. Trees include wiliwili, hala, kou, ulu, bele, edible hibiscus or spinach, soursop, and citrus. Some of the trees can get quite big, so homeowners need to make sure they have the space for the trees above and below ground. Smaller plants include aweoweo, aalii, naupaka kahakai, ulei, and iliee. We don't have flammability numbers for most plants, but these firebreak plants tend to stay green with little care. Research has shown that the native shrub, aweoweo, has high water content, low flammability, and is resistant to fountain grass invasion. In Hawaiian thinking, the plant is pili with, or connected to, the aweoweo fish because it can have red on the stem and a fishy smell. Ladybugs seem to love the aweoweo that we've had at the xeriscape garden. All of these tough plants won't need much water once established, but they generally do need well-draining soil and a lot of sun.' There are plenty of opportunities to learn more. Check out more news from around Hawaii 'I always recommend participating in volunteer days with mālama aina organizations – organizations that are growing plants in habitats similar to where people want to plant. There are a lot of great websites, too. Plant Pono, the Pacific Fire Exchange, and the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization are a few helpful sources. BWS has a beginner native plant guide as well.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Low levels of forever chemicals detected in West Oahu water
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Concerns are being raised in west Oahu after small amounts of PFAS — otherwise known as forever chemicals — were detected in water samples. Officials said the water is safe but KHON2 heard from lawmakers who want more transparency. 10 tips foreign tourists need to know before visiting Hawaiʻi amid mass travel warnings The Department of Health on Monday, March 31 that two new forever chemicals were detected in water samples from wells that serve residents from Ewa to Makaha. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply had sent out a on Tuesday, March 25. 'These are PFAS chemicals that are currently have no standards. There's no EPA regulation, and Department of Health has some environmental action levels that we use to kind of understand whether or not it's a concern. The levels in relation to those numbers are so small that it doesn't have a concern,' said Honolulu Board of Water Supply deputy manager Erwin Kawata. Monthly testing found one PFAS chemical as far back as November, 2024 and it was still detectable through the beginning of February, 2025. Kawata said they have switched to weekly well testing.'November? This is now March, April and we are only being told now! I would have thought that any issue with PFAS, was should be something that people should be alert of, whether small or not,' said Nanakuli/Maili/Honokai Hale Rep. Darius Kila. Forever chemicals detected in Oahu Navy drinking water 'It's a small amount to where there should be no concern,' said House Health Committee member Rep. Diamond Garcia. 'But any time residents hear there's forever chemicals in our water system, it gives us a pause, 'Do I want to cook our rice with it, shower in it, brush our teeth with it?'' PFAS were first detected on Oahu in 2020 after EPA testing standards were made more strict, but they have been in use since the 1940's. 'What's different is that we are seeing something that we haven't seen in 2020,' Kawata said. 'Are these numbers more stable or are they changing or are they going down in any way, it's something that we want to keep an eye on and keep on surveillance.' One of the chemicals out west — Perfluorooctanoic Acid — has been identified as a carcinogen and is linked to birth defects. 'It's kind of scary because I think we're just accepting the fact that this is the new reality we're living with, but it's not 'harmful or dangerous,'' Rep. Kila said, 'because in its most earliest iterations, all of our water was never tainted like this. Ever.' Check out more news from around Hawaii for more information about PFAS. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
