HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A new federal assessment has highlighted deficiencies in both the preparation and response to the Red Hill fuel spill.

The The Defense Department’s inspector general has issued several scathing reports Thursday in connection with the Navy’s handling of the jet fuel spill at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

He determined that Navy officials did not effectively manage the operations of the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility in accordance with federal and state laws and DoD policy, nor did they respond appropriately to fuel incidents.

The inspector general also said Navy officials had multiple opportunities to prevent the November 2021 fuel incident, but failed to take precautions.

SPECIAL SECTION: Marine Water Crisis

The DoD made various recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy for the spill that affected more than 90,000 people and sickened more than 6,000 people.

“It is imperative that the Navy address the ongoing challenges with managing the fuel and water systems at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam,” said Inspector General Robert Storch.

“That’s why our recommendations include that DoD evaluate leak detection systems at other Navy fuel support points. DoD must take this action, and others, to ensure that tragedies like the one in November 2021 are not allowed to happen again.”

In addition, the report says that American taxpayers have borne the brunt of unexpected costs related to the response.

DoD officials reported spending more than $220 million on the drinking water contamination incident. In addition, the national defense authorizations for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 included more than $2.1 billion in funding related to the drinking water contamination incident and the planned closure of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.

Meanwhile, on Thursday night, the Navy is hosting their next community event regarding its plans to close the Red Hill fuel tanks.

It’s from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Hokulani Community Center near the Nimitz Gate of Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam.

There will be information about ordering and remediation efforts, as well as an opportunity for the public to ask questions.

For more information about the community meeting, click here.

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