Honolulu urges regulators to mandate expanded Navy PFAS testing at Red Hill facility

Honolulu urges regulators to mandate expanded Navy PFAS testing at Red Hill facilityWith 'forever chemicals' detected off military property, the city council has formally requested the EPA and state health officials compel the Navy to install additional monitoring wells and increase sampling frequency.

The Honolulu City Council approved Resolution 26-193, urging the EPA and Hawaii Department of Health to require the Navy to expand the scope and geographic extent of Red Hill groundwater testing.

Board of Water Supply Manager Ernie Lau confirmed that PFAS contamination has been found off Navy property in the Moanalua and Halawa valleys.

Lau called for the installation of new off-property monitoring wells to define the nature and scope of the contamination plume.

The council also reappointed Naʻalehu Anthony to the Board of Water Supply, citing his instrumental expertise in navigating the Red Hill crisis.

The Honolulu City Council has formally called on federal and state environmental regulators to mandate expanded groundwater testing by the U.S. Department of the Navy around the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, citing the detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) spreading beyond the military's property line. During its September 9, 2026 meeting, the council unanimously approved Resolution 26-193. The measure urges the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Hawaii Department of Health to require the Navy to increase the frequency, chemical scope, and geographic extent of testing for both petroleum chemicals and PFAS in the immediate vicinity of the Red Hill facility and surrounding areas. Ernie Lau, Manager and Chief Engineer for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, testified in strong support of the resolution, emphasizing that the crisis has evolved beyond its initial scope. "The Red Hill fuel contamination issue is not only a fuel contamination issue, but it's very clear that it is also an issue involving forever chemicals, PFAS," Lau told the council. He noted that testing has revealed widespread PFAS contamination on the Navy's Red Hill property, as well as off-site detections on the Moanalua Valley and Halawa Valley sides. To properly define the nature and scope of the contamination plume emanating from the facility, Lau stated that regulators must require the military to deploy more aggressive sampling at existing locations and install additional monitoring wells off-property. Councilmember Radiant Cordero, who introduced the resolution, noted that while the Kapukāki area is in her district, the contamination threat impacts water resources for the entire island of Oahu. She expressed hope that the council's unified stance would assist the Board of Water Supply in securing the data needed to protect local groundwater. Dylan Armstrong, a testifier who previously worked for the State Department of Health, noted that the federal environment is currently supportive of enhanced regulation of PFAS and other hydrocarbon contaminants, urging the council to rely on evolving science for the emerging chemicals of concern. In a related move to maintain experienced leadership during the ongoing groundwater crisis, the council also approved Resolution 26-172, confirming the reappointment of Naʻalehu Anthony to the Board of Water Supply. Lau strongly endorsed the reappointment, telling the council that Anthony has been "instrumental" in the utility's handling of the Red Hill water issues.