Navy Accepts Blame for Jet Fuel Contaminating Hawaii Water Supply

Rear Adm. John Korka, Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC), and Chief of Civil Engineers, leads Navy and civilian water quality recovery experts through the tunnels of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 23, 2021. Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Luke McCall/U.S. Navy via AP

A Navy investigation released Thursday revealed that contaminated drinking water that supplied thousands of military families in Hawaii was the result of human error and poor leadership within the Navy.

The report further detailed how jet fuel leaked from Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility situated on a ridge above Pearl Harbor into tap water in May and November of 2021, making some 6,000 people sick with nausea, headaches, rashes, and other symptoms.