The U.S. military has announced the completion of the draining of millions of gallons of fuel from an underground fuel tank complex in Hawaii that had previously poisoned 6,000 people after leaking jet fuel into Pearl Harbor's drinking water in 2021. The Joint Task Force Red Hill began defueling the tanks in October following months of repairs to prevent further leaks from the aging network of pipes at the World War II-era facility. The task force successfully drained 104 million gallons of fuel from the tanks and is now handing over responsibility to the Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill, led by Rear Adm. Stephen D. Barnett.

Vice Adm. John Wade, the commander of the task force that drained the tanks, emphasized the importance of the new task force's mission to permanently decommission the tanks, clean up the environment, and restore the aquifer underneath to ensure clean water for the 400,000 people in urban Honolulu, including Waikiki and downtown. The military agreed to drain the tanks after public outcry and concerns about the threat to Honolulu's water supply, as the tanks sit above an aquifer supplying water to a large population.

The Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, with each of its 20 tanks equivalent in height to a 25-story building and capable of holding 12.5 million gallons, was built by the military in the side of a mountain ridge to protect the fuel from aerial attacks. A Navy investigation revealed that errors led to thousands of gallons of fuel seeping into the Navy's water system, causing illnesses such as nausea, vomiting, and skin rashes among water users. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply halted pumping water from the aquifer under the fuel tanks to prevent contaminated water from entering the municipal system, leading to a search for alternative water sources as the aquifer had been the most productive, providing about 20% of the city's water supply.

While the Navy reprimanded three retired military officers for their roles in the spill, no one was fired or suspended. The focus now shifts to the long-term environmental remediation and closure of the facility to ensure the safety of the water supply for the residents of Honolulu.