Evaluating Fuel Leak And Aging Infrastructure At Red Hill, Hawaii,
The Largest Underground Fuel Storage Facility In The United States
In January 2014, the U.S. Navy reported to Hawaii's
Department of Health a leak of approximately
27,000 gallons of jet fuel from a tank at the Red Hill
Bulk Fuel Storage Facility near Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii. The Navy subsequently drained the tank
and collected samples from existing monitoring
wells. Results in and around the tank indicated a
spike in levels of hydrocarbons in soil vapor and
groundwater. Drinking water monitoring results
confirmed compliance with federal and state safety
standards for drinking water both before and after
the 2014 release.
This leak brought attention to the aging Red Hill
facility and highlighted the significant	Tanks superimposed to show their location at Red Hill facility
environmental threat to Oahu's groundwater. In
response to the leak, EPA Region 9 and Hawaii Department of Health in September 2015 negotiated an enforceable
agreement with the Navy and Defense Logistics Agency. The agreement lays out specific tasks the Navy and Defense
Logistics Agency must take to protect human health and the environment by addressing the 2014 fuel release and
improving Red Hill's infrastructure to prevent future fuel releases.
By the end of 2016, work was underway to evaluate and improve tank corrosion control, release detection, inspection,
and maintenance procedures; develop tank upgrade alternatives; and investigate releases and take steps to protect
drinking water.
According to the agreement, the Navy must:
•	evaluate investigation and remediation
techniques;
•	refine the understanding of how groundwater
and contaminants flow in the subsurface;
•	monitor existing contamination to determine its
extent and movement;
•	evaluate and improve procedures and practices
to maintain the integrity of the tanks;
•	evaluate and implement structural upgrades to
the tanks;
•	use the best technology available to detect
leaks; and
•	determine the overall risk Red Hill poses to the
surrounding environment.
Background
Built from 1940 through 1943 and located under a volcanic mountain ridge near Honolulu, Hawaii east of Pearl Harbor,
the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility is the largest underground storage tank facility in the United States. Owned by
the U.S. Navy, Red Hill supports military operations in the Pacific.
For More Information
To learn more about the Red Hill Facility, see EPA's website www.epa.gov/red-lnll or YouTube videos
www.voutube.com/watch?v=lIz8IstwnWU and www.vouUibc.com/watch?v=0Bx81 rD206A.
Office of Underground Storage Tanks, Washington, D.C. 20460	February 2017
www.epa.gov/ust
Red Hill Facility By The Numbers
•	20 vertical steel lined underground tanks encased in 2.5 to 4 feet of
concrete, plus 3 pipelines running 2.5 miles through a tunnel to fueling
piers at Pearl Harbor
•	Each tank holds 12.5 million gallons
•	Total facility storage capacity = 250 million gallons of fuel
•	Each tank measures 100 feet in diameter and 250 feet high, the height
of a 20 story building
•	Tanks lie under 100 feet of rock and are built in a cavity mined inside
of Red Hill
•	Stores and dispenses 3 types of petroleum fuel: marine diesel for ships
and 2 types of jet fuel, .TP-5 and JP-8
•	Hundreds of thousands of residents in and around Honolulu rely on the
aquifer, located 100 feet below Red Hill facility, for fresh drinking
water
•	Tank upgrades will occur in 5 year intervals over a 20 year period
SEPA

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