Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks tours the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility with senior Naval leadership on Oahu, Hawaii, Dec. 14, 2021. (Brittany A. Chase/U.S. Air Force/TNS)
(Tribune News Service) — Drinking water quality test results for the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam water system will be made public faster, according to news release from the the Interagency Drinking Water System Team (IDWST).
The Jan. 13 version of the process allowed for the release of results after the Hawaii Department of Health amended health advisories and declared a zone’s drinking water safe to use.
“Upon careful consideration of concerns from affected families, the IDWST decided to amend the process to be more transparent,“ according to the release. “The updated process allows for earlier publication of validated test results as data will be made publicly available after both distribution system flushing and home flushing instead of only the latter.”
The IDWST is a partnership between Hawaii DOH, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy. It was formed in response to the drinking water contamination crisis that sickened and displaced hundreds of service members and their families.
Also, the U.S. Navy released system flushing data for the Pearl City Peninsula (Zone A1) that was validated by the IDWST. DOH’s Nov. 29 Public Health Advisory for the JPBHH Public Water System for Zone A1 remains in effect.
All Navy water system users should not use the water for drinking, cooking, oral hygiene or to satiate their pets’ thirst. Navy water system users who detect a fuel-like odor from their water should not use the water for bathing, dish washing or laundry, according to a IDWST news release.
“We have thoroughly flushed, sampled, and tested the water distribution system lines (Water Mains) in Zone A1,“ according to the release. “Based on the samples collected and tested, to date, this water meets all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and State of Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) standards that are applicable to the Navy Water System Incident.”
No final conclusions or recommendations have been made because more drinking water samples are being collected and tested from water mains, residences, buildings, schools, and child development centers (after they have been flushed), according to the release.
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