According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Navy released an investigation report on the 2021 Pearl Harbor tap water pollution incident in Hawaii on June 30, local time, saying that the local drinking water was contaminated by fuel leaks due to management problems and human error. At that time, thousands of people were poisoned and their lives were affected.
According to the investigation report, on May 6, 2021, fuel spilled into the fire at the Red Mountain Fuel Storage Facility when fuel was transferred between tanks with approximately 79,494 liters (21,000 US gallons) of fuel spilled due to a rupture in a fuel line caused by operator error. The pipeline then overflowed again when it was hit by a trolley on November 20, 2021.
The leaked fuel contaminated a well, causing nausea, headaches and rashes to thousands of surrounding residents and soldiers stationed there, and about 4,000 people were moved to hotels.
The report pointed out that because the military's internal estimates of the consequences of the leak were too optimistic and failed to take into account the worst-case scenario, they ignored the seriousness of the matter.
Admiral Sam Paparo, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said at a news conference that they will reflect on their mistakes and ensure that similar situations do not happen again.
(Headquarters reporter Zhang Yingzhe)