US Navy to drain Hawaii tank system blamed for tainted water

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and AUDREY McAVOY
Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Officials say the U.S. Navy will comply with Hawaii’s order to remove fuel from a massive underground storage tank facility blamed for contaminating the Navy’s drinking water system. Rear Adm. Blake Converse tells members of Congress the Navy is making preparations to defuel the facility. After petroleum was detected in the water, Hawaii issued the order to protect Oahu’s drinking water. The Navy previously fought Hawaii’s order, prompting a hearing last month where a deputy state attorney general concluded the tanks are a “ticking time bomb” and that the order needs to be upheld. The Navy’s water system serves some 93,000 people in residential homes, offices, elementary schools and businesses in and around Pearl Harbor.