JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (Feb. 7, 2025) – Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill (NCTF-RH) continued safe and deliberate closure activities in December and January with special emphasis on tank cleaning, safety and community engagement.

Tanks 7 & 8 Pressure Washing: The Navy began pressure washing tanks 7 and 8, the first two tanks to be pressure washed at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF), in January. The pressure washing process, approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), includes using a mixture of 3% Simple Green cleaning solution and 97% water. After pressure washing, the cleaning solution is rinsed off, collected, analyzed, and disposed of in accordance with DOH approved waste management requirements. The surface of each tank is then visually inspected by the Navy contractor. Upon completion of the inspection, NCTF-RH personnel will conduct a quality assurance check, after which a third party, independent quality validator will inspect and certify the tanks surfaces as clean. The Navy will submit a cleaning report for final approval by the regulatory agency before beginning the tank decommissioning process.

Tanks 3 & 4 Degassing Operations: The Navy is preparing tanks 3 and 4 for degassing operations later this month. They will be the fifth and sixth tanks to be ventilated since the project began on October 1, 2024. Hourly updates of Air Quality Monitoring (AQM) will be provided by NCTF-RH throughout the ventilation process on its mobile app, with daily summaries on its website (www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil). The tanks are ventilated and cleaned in staggered pairs to safely prepare each tank for the sludge removal, pressure washing and decommissioning processes.

According to AQM results, Volatile organic compound (VOC) levels, which are pollutants emitted as gases and include a variety of chemicals, have consistently remained below DOH’s regulatory standard limit of 38 parts per million (PPM) by volume

with an average of 0.1 PPM by volume total VOCs since the start of ventilation. For questions or concerns, contact the Navy Call Center at 808-210-6968.

BWS Discussion on Drinking Water: The Navy hosted a meeting with members of the Drinking Water Swarm Team and Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) at the Military and Family Support Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, December 10, 2024. Representatives from the Navy, Army, Hawaii DOH, EPA, and BWS and its consultants attended the technical discussion.

The meeting provided participants a deeper insight into the Swarm Team’s technical memo released in April 2024. The event facilitated productive dialogue among all parties and enabled an in-depth technical discussion about the Navy’s findings, supporting data and the scientific rigor supporting the Navy’s long term drinking water monitoring program.

A full recording of the meeting is available on the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Safe Waters website (www.jbphh-safewaters.org), the NCTF-RH website (www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil/Media/Videos/), and the NCTF-RH YouTube page (www.youtube.com/@NCTF-RH/featured).

Spill Drill Exercise: NCTF-RH exercised spill response under the National Incident Management System (NIMS) framework and principles during two spill drill tabletop exercises on December 6, 2024, and January 28, 2025. The exercise rehearsed roles, responsibilities, and actions that would mitigate environmental and community impacts in the event of a spill at the Red Hill facility.

“Let’s Talk Red Hill” Podcast: NCTF-RH released the following seven episodes of the podcast series hosted by Deputy Commander Rear Adm. Marc Williams in December and January:

– Episode 13: Redaction

– Episode 12: Waste Management

– Episode 11: Pressure Washing

– Episode 10: Looking Ahead in 2025

– Episode 9: 2024 in Review – Progress on Red Hill Closure

– Episode 8: Integrated Master Schedule

– Episode 7: Frequently Asked Questions

The weekly series offers experts the chance to share the latest updates and insights on the Navy’s progress in closing the RHBFSF. The series can be found on the NCTF-RH YouTube page (www.youtube.com/@NCTF-RH/featured), the NCTF-RH website (www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil/Media/Videos/), Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) website, and the NCTF-RH mobile app.

Open House: The next NCTF-RH open house is at Alfred Los Banos Hall at Ke`ehi Lagoon Memorial, 2685 North Nimitz Highway, Honolulu, HI, on March 12, 2025, from 5-7 p.m. The open house theme is “NCTF-RH at One Year.” The open house will feature information about NCTF-RH activities over the past year and those planned for 2025 and beyond.

Navy Releases 2025 Community Engagement Plan: The Navy published the 2025 Community Engagement Plan that outlines NCTF-RH’s robust and inclusive public engagement program, in accordance with the EPA’s 2023 ACO amendment. The plan represents the Navy’s commitment to a continued interactive relationship with the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) community, both on and off base, with regards to the safe and deliberate closure of the RHBFSF and enhanced water resiliency at JBPHH. The plan is available for viewing on the Commander Navy Region Hawaii website (https://cnrh.cnic.navy.mil/).

Engagements: In December and January, NCTF-RH leadership and staff participated in or attended the following engagement events:

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INDOPACOM Hawaii State Legislature brief

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Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative (WAI) meeting

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Governor’s Water Committee meeting

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Military Affairs Council (MAC) meeting

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Biannual Military Affairs Council State of the Indo-Pacific

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Hawaii State Legislature Opening Day 2025

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Governor Josh Green’s State of the State Address 2025

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Participated in seven neighborhood boards

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Held eight drinking water information booths

Additionally, Deputy Commander of NCTF-RH Rear Adm. Marc Williams, met with Honolulu City Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam and his staff during a site visit to the RHBFSF. During the visit, they discussed environmental assessments, water monitoring initiatives, and the Navy’s commitment to safely and deliberately close the RHBFSF.

NCTF-RH is committed to working with all government agencies and community stakeholders to safely and deliberately close the RHBFSF underground storage tanks and associated piping system, conduct long-term environmental remediation, and ensure continued access to safe drinking water in compliance with all Federal, State, and local laws and regulations.

For more information about NCTF-RH, visit https://www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil/ or download our free mobile app by searching for “NCTF-Red Hill” in the Apple App store or Google Play store. For imagery, video and other digital media please visit our DVIDS site here: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/NCTF-RH.

SAFE. DELIBERATE. ENGAGED. COMMITTED. – NCTF – RH –