US military's error found to lead to toxic firefighting foam spill at facility in Hawaii

LOS ANGELES -- Delayed investigation document and video footage of a highly toxic firefighting foam spill at a military-owned facility in Hawaii were released by US military officials on Friday, authenticating the contractor's failure.

A maintenance contractor hired by the Navy improperly installed an air vacuum valve to the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in April 2022. On Nov 29, 2022, the contractor failed to disable the foam concentrate pumps from automatically starting prior to conducting fire suppression system testing, which caused the uncontrolled discharge, the military said in a statement.

The Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii, a giant military fuel storage facility, was operated by the US Navy and designed to support US military operations in the Pacific.

"The release of the Department of Defense's investigation and video of the November aqueous film forming foam spill is long overdue," said Deputy Director of Environmental Health Kathleen Ho.

The findings emphasize that the US Department of Defense "must take ownership on a systemic level for operations at the Red Hill facility," she said, noting that the oversight over defueling, closure, and remediation of aquifer should be reinforced.

On Nov 29, 2022, an estimated 1,300 gallons of aqueous film forming foam, which is used in firefighting and slow to degrade in the environment, spilled in the facility, triggering an ongoing water contamination crisis jeopardizing the nearby communities, and a large-scale cleanup effort.