Source: United States Navy
Supplement 2 details the DON’s updated plan to remove all three large fuel pipelines associated with the underground storage tanks. This key update demonstrates the DON’s commitment to never use the tanks for storage of fuel or other hazardous substance storage.
“The Navy recognizes that the planning and process of closure at Red Hill is iterative,” said Meredith Berger, assistant secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations, and Environment) and chief sustainability officer. “This supplement continues to prioritize the Navy’s commitment to the safety of the Oahu community and environmental health, and reinforces our assurance of transparency.”
Other benefits to pipeline removal includes eliminating long-term maintenance costs and providing more flexibility for potential beneficial non-fuel reuse within the tunnel space
Supplement 2 also incorporates responses to DOH and Environmental Protection Agency comments on the Dec. 22 third-party analysis of closure method alternatives; includes a third-party analysis of the long-term structural integrity of the tanks with consideration of issues such as corrosion, seismic events, and post-closure monitoring; and maintenance of the facility.
The DON is working to ensure future supplements and plans to execute closure align with the latest and subsequent Red Hill Defueling Plan Supplements issued by the Joint Task Force-Red Hill. Execution and completion of Tank Closure is expected to take approximately three years from the completion of defueling, assuming the DON’s proposed method of ‘closure in place’ is approved by the DOH. Removal of the pipelines is not expected to impact this planned timeline.
To find more information and download the full Red Hill Tank Closure Plan Supplement 2, visit https://cnrh.cnic.navy.mil/Operations-and-Management/Red-Hill/.