The Navy’s Red Hill storage tanks leaked fuel into the ground, sickening thousands of people through their home’s drinking water.

The Navy has been ordered by Dept. of Health to submit a plan for emptying the World War II-era fuel facility by June 30 and a plan for its permanent closure by Nov. 1. But it was recently reported that the Red Hill’s infrastructure could take two years to repair.

Experts say the contamination could migrate to civilian wells that are currently shut down and may never reopen.

Civil Beat reporter Christina Jedra will moderate this panel as experts explain how Honolulu’s aquifers work and why in the case of Red Hill, so many answers remain unknown.

Panelists:

Ernie Lau, Manager and Chief Engineer, Board of Water Supply

Donald Thomas, Geochemist and Director of the Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes at UH Hilo

Fenix Grange, Supervisor, Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office at the Dept. of Health

>> Submit your questions for the panel here.

All of Civil Beat’s Red Hill coverage can be found here.

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