Regional administrator Martha Guzman issued a statement on Feb. 4 regarding the drinking water emergency at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and plans for EPA inspections.
In a statement issued to Rear Admiral Kott of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, the EPA announced its intent to conduct inspections at the facility within weeks of Feb. 4 in order to assess the quality of the water for Hawaiian residents.
"The agency has been on the ground with an emergency response team since the earliest days following the November 2021 release and EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe recently visited to see firsthand the ongoing work and engage with stakeholders," said Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest, Martha Guzman according to the news release.
At Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, an Interagency Drinking Water System Team has been set in place and is expected to aid in restoring the safe drinking water to the community. The members of the team are EPA, the Navy, and the Hawaii Dept. of Health.
Through the inspections, EPA ensured its commitment to providing residents of Hawai’i with clean water and that the O’ahu aquifer remains protected, while also maintaining that the Facility is operated and maintained in an environmentally protective manner.
