Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Glenn Slaughter | Members of Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill (NCTF-RH) and the University of Hawaii...... read more read more
HONOLULU – Navy Closure Task Force – Red Hill (NCTF-RH) continued proactive community engagement efforts in December and was joined by the University of Hawaii (UH) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its final open house of 2025. In accordance with the EPA-approved community engagement plan, NCTF-RH held its quarterly open house at the Oahu Veterans Center, Dec. 11.
At the event, NCTF-RH provided updates to the public on progress made over the past year to safely decommission the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF) and remediate the surrounding environment. The EPA, routinely in attendance at task force open houses, spoke with attendees on regulatory oversight it provides for all operational efforts in support of the safe decommissioning of the World War II-era facility. From UH, there were three teams of subject matter experts who also participated in the event and were available to speak on the university’s independent groundwater monitoring and modeling studies, the Red Hill Registry, and Halawa Stream ecological monitoring efforts.
“We look forward to events like these, because they allow us to facilitate an information sharing environment for the community alongside regulators and, tonight, the University of Hawaii, too,” said Rear Adm. Marc Williams, deputy commander for NCTF-RH. “The closure of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility and our work to remediate the environment aren’t Navy-only efforts. We work and will continue to work extensively with our regulators – the EPA and Hawaii Department of Health – to ensure we continue meeting all federal and state regulations. The university brings independent thoughts and valuable work to the discussion, and it’s important to share that with the community, because their work plays a big role in guiding and informing our environmental assessment and remediation effort.”
The Navy significantly increased and enhanced environmental efforts to include, increased monitoring of air and soil, expansion of its groundwater monitoring well network, and initiation of several remediation projects following the November 2021 fuel release. Under a cooperative agreement with UH and as a commitment to the community and the environment, the Navy conducts biodiversity monitoring of freshwater and estuarine communities in Halawa Stream and adjacent forest reserves to determine the impact to species from the discharge of filtered water. Through the testing and monitoring performed, UH and the Navy looked to identify potential changes in Halawa Stream and the lower estuary area, including water quality and aquatic biodiversity, as a result of the artificial increase in water flow associated with the Red Hill Shaft recovery.
Dr. Yinphan Tsang, associate professor and hydrologist for the university’s Halawa Stream studies, spoke with guests at the open house about the positive ecological impacts to the Halawa Stream caused by the increased water flowing into the stream supplied by water from the Red Hill Shaft after treatment by the Navy’s granular activated carbon system.
“What we have found so far, is the added water is increasing the available habitat for the aquatic species,” Tsang said. “I think it’s really good that people show up and understand and really care about what this effort ... and impact has been. I’m really glad that I have the opportunity to share what we have learned.”
The open house provided community members with an opportunity to speak one-on-one with subject matter experts who are actively involved in the RHBFSF decommissioning and the Navy’s ongoing environmental efforts. NCTF-RH engineers and environmental specialists were available at the open house to speak with attendees about various decommissioning and environmental operations, including pigging (pipe cleaning) operations, pipeline removal, the Navy’s plan for reactivating the Navy Aiea-Halawa Shaft, and other key milestones and future efforts in the coming year.
“We look forward to future public forums in 2026, where NCTF can continue to engage with the community,” Williams said. “The task force remains committed to proactive and transparent communication and will continue to provide updates to the public on ongoing operations and progress made toward our goal of safely decommissioning the facility and cleaning up the area around Red Hill, now and through the long-term for future generations.”
For more information on future NCTF-RH community events and open houses, is it the community events page at www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil. Stay up to date on NCTF-RH activities by downloading our free mobile app by searching for “NCTF-Red Hill” in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. For updated 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 –
Accompanying photos: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9451775/nctf-red-hill-hosts-open-house-dec-11-2025 https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9451777/nctf-red-hill-hosts-open-house-dec-11-2025 https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9451780/nctf-red-hill-hosts-open-house-dec-11-2025 ______________________________________________________________________________
| Date Taken: | 12.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.05.2026 20:55 |
| Story ID: | 557573 |
| Location: | HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 59 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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