Defueling leader speaks to HNN on being the face of Red Hill
The enormity of the 20 underground fuel tanks at Red Hill and the complexity of removing millions of gallons fuel 100 feet above Oahu’s aquifer can be hard to grasp. Vice Admiral John Wade, commander of Joint Task Force - Red Hill, has been tasked with defueling the 20 underground fuel tanks at Red Hill 100 feet above Oahu’s aquifer. Over 600 people, military and civilians, were part of the mission to safely remove the tanks. The state department of health commended the work, stating that “countless things could have gone wrong” in the future. In 2021, roughly 20,000 fuel spilled into the Navy’S drinking water system, leading to illnesses and concerns about the safety of the tap water. Despite these efforts, Wade remains hopeful about his next assignment, which will not be in Hawaii.
Publicado : hace 4 semanas por Mahealani Richardson en
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The enormity of the 20 underground fuel tanks at Red Hill and the complexity of removing millions of gallons fuel 100 feet above Oahu’s aquifer can be hard to grasp.
“I was assigned this mission and went into the Red Hill facility for the first time, my jaw dropped,” said 55-year-old Vice Admiral John Wade, commander of Joint Task Force - Red Hill in an interview with Hawaii News Now.
He says 600 people, military and civilians, were part of the mission to safely defuel the tanks.
On Thursday, a formal transfer ceremony from the Joint Task Force to the Navy Closure Task Force was held on board the USS Missouri.
“We’ve removed over 104 million gallons from above the aquifer, which posed an immediate threat to human health and the environment,” said Wade.
In a letter, the state department of health commended the Joint Task Force for completing the job.
“Countless things could have gone wrong,” wrote Kathleen Ho, Deputy Director for Environmental Health.
In 2021, roughly 20,000 fuel spilled into the the Navy’s drinking water system serving 93,000 water users and sickening more than 6,000 people around Pearl Harbor.
There are lingering issues like environmental cleanup, continued illnesses, and concerns about the safety of the tap water.
“Now there’s poisonous toxic fumes in those tanks and the only way to vent them out is through the top of Red Hill,” said Shannon Benc, a former Red Hill fuel’s director.
“I don’t have the details on that since it’s beyond the purview of my mission,” said Wade.
History will likely be the barometer on trust as Wade has navigated his chain of command and the community.
“The anger the frustration, the disappointment was palpable, but I never felt it was personal against me,” said Wade.
He says he’s learned about the ‘sacred Native Hawaiian responsibility’ for protecting water and land.
“I don’t look at Red Hill as Red Hill. I also look at it as Kapukaki,” said Wade.
The Joint Task Force will formally come to an end in April and Wade says he still hasn’t learned his next assignment, but he knows it will not be in Hawaii.