Summary US Navy faces lawsuit over fuel leak affecting Pearl Harbor residents. Families report severe health issues from fuel exposure and accuse Navy of various failures. After relocating fuel storage, Navy declares clean water system despite continuing contamination reports.
A trial against the United States Navy (USN) over a November 2021 jet fuel leak in Pearl Harbor begins this week. On that day, at least 5,000 gallons of jet fuel leaked into the base's water supply, causing various ill health effects to residents. Pearl Harbor fuel leak In a feature on CBS' 60 Minutes , military families stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (JBPHH) have told of the Navy's failure to protect them from water contaminated by jet fuel.
On November 20th, 2021, a burst pipe in the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility led to fuel leaking into the base's water supply, contaminating the drinking water of up to 93,000 people. The leak is believed to have persisted for almost 24 hours, with responders initially not equipped with the right tools to stop it. Navy chiefs were also apparently confident that none of the fuel had leaked into the water system, initially telling residents that the water was safe to drink.
However, it soon became apparent that something was wrong, with hundreds of reports of strong fuel odors coming from residents. Despite this, the Navy said their initial tests could not detect fuel, and residents were informed in an email that " there are no immediate indications.