JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – The Interagency Drinking Water System Team (IDWST) released post home and non-residential building flushing data for Pearl City Peninsula (Zone A1) on the https://jbphh-safewaters.org website today.

A summary of the laboratory testing results for Zone A1 can be found here. This website supplements the primary online resource for information about the interagency response at www.navy.mil/jointbasewater.

The IDWST is composed of representatives from the Navy, Army, Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Navy and Hawaii DOH took drinking water samples after homes and non-residential buildings were flushed. The drinking water meets EPA and Hawaii DOH standards that are applicable to the Navy Water System incident. On Feb. 15, IDWST submitted the results to Hawaii DOH for final review. In accordance with the IDWST’s approved Drinking Water Sampling Plan, Addendum 2, Hawaii DOH’s final review should take approximately seven days. Once Hawaii DOH determines the Navy’s drinking water is safe to drink, Hawaii DOH will amend the health advisory for Zone A1. After the public health advisory has been amended for all zones, Hawaii DOH will lift the public health advisory for the entire Navy Water System.

The following information is provided to help interpret the data:

• Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) tests look for many petroleum compounds and are done in addition to standard drinking water tests.
• Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) are established by the EPA and are the maximum permissible level of contaminants in water which is delivered to any user of a public water system.
• Environmental Action Levels (EALs) are established by the Hawaii DOH and are concentrations of contaminants in drinking water and other media (e.g., soil, soil gas, and groundwater) below which the contaminants are assumed to not pose a significant threat to human health or the environment. Exceeding the Tier 1 EAL does not necessarily indicate that contamination at the site poses environmental hazards but generally warrants additional investigation.
• All values are in micrograms per liter (µg/L) which is equal to parts per billion (PPB).
• The Method Detection Limit (MDL) is the lowest concentration at which an analyte (chemical subject that is being analyzed) can be detected in a sample.

The Hawaii DOH’s Nov. 29, 2021, public health advisory for JPBHH remains in effect for all zones except Zone I1 (Red Hill Housing).