The Honolulu Board of Water Supply has now appealed to Oahu residen ts and businesses to voluntarily reduce their water consumption with 20% of Honolulu's drinking water wells offline in an attempt to reduce the jet fuel plume from moving into more of O'ahu's aquifer.
Should voluntary water reduction not work, a mandatory reduction will occur in the summer months.
Citizen activism continues to shut down Red Hill in less than the projected one year The Department of Defense projects. The possibility of further major leaks remains a possibility as long as the massive 20 story jet fuel tanks contain fuel only 100 feet above Honolulu's water supply.
Many Native Hawaiians say the success in the shut down of Red Hill fuel storage facility may be a turning point for the wider island community to join Native Hawaiians in challenging the military's role in Hawai'i.
University of HawaiÊ »i Professor of Hawaiian Studies Kamanamaikalani Beamer said at the heart of that conflict is the military's terrible record of care of HawaiÊ »i's natural resources. "Trust is based off of historical relationships and evidence and people's behavior and all we really have to go off of here in HawaiÊ »i, unfortunately, is a series of actions that have been negligent to our islands' resources," Beamer said. Healani Sonoda-Pale, a Native Hawaiian community leader, said, "It's unfortunate that this crisis happened, but the silver lining is being able to raise the consciousness of other communities and groups that otherwise would never actually critique the role of the military here in HawaiÊ »i." The water contamination at Red Hill brought together federal, state and local officials as well as a large and vocal group of citizens in opposition to the massive jet fuel storage tanks remaining open. Sonoda-Pale said the "community's perception of the military will play a critical role in conversations around its soon-to-expire state land leases, such as the Pohakuloa and Kahuku training areas."The strained relations of the Hawai'i public with the U.S. military caused Rear Admiral Tim Kott, Commander of the Navy Region HawaiÊ »i, to issue a statement that the Navy is deeply committed to restoring the trust of all people of HawaiÊ »i, including Native Hawaiians.
"We know, however, that process will take time and must be earned through our actions not just words. We've committed to the closure of Red Hill and have made great strides to return safe drinking water to families in military housing; however, much work remains."
"As we continue our efforts to close the fuel storage facility, we hope to work with the Native Hawaiian community to help guide us towards a better future that balances the interests of the environment, the native host culture, as well as the nation," Kott told HawaiÊ »i Public Radio.
About the Author: Ann Wright served 29 years in the US military and retired as a Colonel. She was also a US diplomat and served in US Embassies in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Afghanistan and Mongolia. She resigned from the U.S. government in March 2003 in opposition to the U.S. war on Iraq. She is the co-author of Dissent: Voices of Conscience.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
