Navy slapped with massive lawsuit over fuel leak

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) is suing the U.S. Navy for allegedly causing a jet fuel leak at Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility that poisoned thousands of Hawaiians.

In November 2021, 20,000 gallons of fuel leaked from Red Hill into the Navy’s water supply due to a burst pipe, with some of the fuel and other contaminants reportedly leaking into a water aquifer which served over 400,000 residents of Honolulu. The BWS alleged in their lawsuit filed Tuesday that the Navy is liable for the damages caused by the leaks due to its negligence, saying the branch had already taken responsibility for the leaks for at least a decade.

“This is not an issue that will be solved quickly or cheaply,” BWS Manager and Chief Engineer Ernest Lau said in a statement. “Every action must be taken to protect the purity of Oʻahu’s water, and it is only right that the Navy assume financial responsibility for its actions that put water purity and safety of everyone on Oʻahu at risk and caused harm to the BWS.”

The Navy initially denied the BWS’ claim on June 10, which prompted the lawsuit against the service branch, according to Military.com. After the leak caused worries among residents about their water supply’s safety in 2021, the Navy conceded to their demands and drained the fuel tanks responsible, completing the task in March 2022.

BWS alleged that the Navy initially assured residents that the water was safe, despite knowing that the leak had affected the reservoirs.

“Litigation was our last resort and comes after months of futile negotiation with the Navy, an attempt to recover costs administratively under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) and the Navy’s refusal to pay for any of the costs incurred by BWS, even while the Navy has publicly acknowledged its responsibility for this disaster and subsequent contaminant releases,” BWS Board Chair, Nāʻālehu Anthony said in a statement Tuesday.

The Navy deferred to the Department of Justice (DOJ) when reached for comment. The DOJ did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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