Operations at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage facility are forced to a halt after the Hawaii Department of Health found that the underlying aquifer supplying drinking water to military families is contaminated with more than double the acceptable level of total petroleum hydrocarbons diesel range organics. 2,700 homes are located in the affected area and over one thousand people have been evacuated from their homes. Some even fell sick after consuming and bathing in the contaminated water; the affected families took to social media to report that they developed gastrointestinal and dermatological symptoms from the foul smelling water days before thanksgiving, while criticizing the Navy’s response time despite the recurring nature of this issue.
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