The Navy has yet to say anything after a hearing officer recommended a facility polluting water near Pearl Harbor be defueled.
The Navy has until the end of Wednesday to respond to the hearing officer's recommendation to comply with an order from Governor David Ige to defuel the Navy-owned storage facility. The facility is close to Pearl Harbor and directly above a groundwater aquifer. The hearing officer said the fuel is "a metaphorical ticking time bomb" threatening drinking water.
The Navy challenged the order, resulting in a hearing before the final ruling from the Department of Health.
"We pray and ask ke akua to somehow touch the hearts of the Navy to say, 'Don't fight this,'" Ernest Lau, manager and chief engineer of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, an agency that manages water distribution for the island of Oahu, said, using a Hawaiian term that can mean deity or God.
The Navy must comply with the order "for the sake of our aquifer," he said, "and if they have any hope of rebuilding trust with our community that they have lost."
Fuel leaked from the facility the month prior, contaminating the Navy's tap water system, which serves around 93,000 in Pearl Harbor and the surrounding area. Approximately 1,000 people in military housing complained of the smell of fuel in their water. Hundreds complained of rashes, nausea and other physical issues beginning in late November.
The water supply board stepped in due to concerns that the facilities could potentially contaminate more than just the Navy's own water system.
The Navy needs to admit that the facility, which began operating in 1943, has outlived its usefulness and that the fuel needs to be removed immediately, Lau said.
If the Navy persists in fighting the order, "the Board of Water Supply won't give up," Lau said. "And I'm not trying to threaten the Navy but understand that you are going to need to deal with us, whether you like it or not."
A Navy spokesperson said officials have nothing more to add on Tuesday, pointing to a statement by Rear Admiral Charlie Brown, the Navy's chief of information: "We are aware of the proposed decision and have no further statement at this time."
Lau said he hadn't yet received a response to a letter he sent last week asking President Joe Biden to intervene.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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