Military

Military Families File Lawsuit over Hawaii Water Contamination

January 11, 2022Coffee or Die
hawaii water

Marines with Combat Logistic Battalion 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group (MLG), unload pallets of bottled water at a water distribution point, Manana Housing Community, Pearl City, Hawaii, Dec. 14, 2021. US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Hailey D. Clay.

This article was originally published on Military.com Jan. 6, 2022. Follow Military.com on Twitter.


Residents of military housing on Oahu have filed a potential class-action lawsuit against their property management companies after fuel was found in their tap water, driving them from their homes.


The lawsuit, filed Dec. 31 in Hawaii’s First Circuit Court, alleges that the companies failed to honor their residential leases, guaranteeing their tenants potable water and habitable housing.


The plaintiffs also say the companies — Ohana Military Communities and Hunt HM Property Management, as well as Island Palm Communities and Hickam Communities operated by Lendlease — failed to warn tenants of the risks a fuel storage facility posed to their homes’ water supply, exposing them to “adverse health risks and other adverse health outcomes without their knowledge and against their will,” according to court documents.


“Specifically, defendants failed to disclose risks associated with water contamination and failed to provide clean, safe, and healthy potable water rendering plaintiffs’ communities uninhabitable,” plaintiffs’ attorneys wrote in the suit.


Although the Navy operates the well and treatment system that supplies water to the homes, the service is not named in the lawsuit. Active-duty personnel are largely barred from suing the U.S. military for personal injuries that may be considered incidental to military service, and their family members are similarly restricted from suing for their service members’ injuries.


hawaii water
Marines filled containers with potable water for the residents of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii affected by water contamination issues. US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Hailey D. Clay.

Dependents are, however, allowed to sue the federal government for negligence.


Thousands of residents at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and other military communities near Honolulu began reporting Nov. 28 that their water smelled of fuel and had an oily sheen.


Families posted on social media and notified authorities that the water and the smell were making them ill, causing rashes, nausea, nosebleeds and other health symptoms.


Navy officials initially said the water well serving the affected neighborhoods showed no sign of contamination, but later tests determined that the well, known as Red Hill, had been polluted with jet fuel, while another section of the system tested positive for petroleum contamination.


The contamination forced more than 3,000 military, civilian and retiree families into area hotels over the holidays as the Navy continues to work to resolve the problem.


The plaintiffs in the case include residents Michael Casey, Payton Lamb and Jamie Williams, a Coast Guard spouse who told The Washington Post that her health problems began well before the contamination became obvious.


hawaii water
A US Marine Corps potable water tank is used to store and distribute water at a distribution point on the Manana Housing Community, Pearl City, Hawaii, Dec. 14, 2021. Marines with 3rd Marine Logistics Group (MLG), as part of Task Force KULEANA, are providing support services such as drinking water, field expedient showers and laundry facilities to the residents of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam affected by the ongoing water issue. US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Hailey D. Clay.

She said her menstrual period inexplicably lasted for three months last year and she experienced brain fog and fatigue that “cleared up when I stopped drinking the water.”


The lawsuit has been filed on behalf of all residents and will need to be certified as a class action to apply to all those affected.


The plaintiffs opted to sue the property management companies, which have fewer legal protections than the federal government in liability cases.


Spokesmen for Hunt Military Communities – the company that oversees Ohana and Hunt HM Property Management – and Lendlease declined to comment on the specifics of the case, but said they have been working with the Navy, the state of Hawaii and others to resolve the problem and assist their residents since the problems began.


“Our teams have been working tirelessly to support our residents during this difficult time,” said Brian Stann, president of Hunt Military Communities, in a statement to Military.com. “We have continuously communicated with and provided support and resources to our impacted residents.”


“From the very beginning of the fuel spill from the Navy’s Red Hill fuel storage facility, Island Palm Communities and Hickam Communities have been, and will continue to be, committed to serving the needs of the military and our residents to the best of our ability,” said Tom Reller, Lendlease’s corporate communications director for the Americas, in an emailed statement. “We can assure you that our commitment to our residents’ wellbeing is always our first priority.”


hawaii water
US Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jesus Medellin, motor transport operator with Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3rd Marine Logistic Group, fills a bottle with clean water near the Makai Recreation Center on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) in support of the water quality recovery effort Dec. 21, 2021. US Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Hannah Adams.

Lendlease’s chief operating officer, Phillip Carpenter, said employees began distributing bottled water to the Island Palms community and proactively working with the Army to establish a hub for affected residents to receive services as soon as the problem came to light.


He added that at Hickam, which is managed primarily by the Navy, Lendlease had less “visibility” as to what was being offered to Air Force tenants there, so the company contacted all 2,400 families to ensure they were supported.


“We’ve maintained as much communication as possible with our families,” Carpenter said.


Many of the families continue to struggle, however. A Navy spouse told Military.com the families have been advised to replace all plastic in the kitchen, as well as their dishwashers, washing machines and coffee makers. But the families have no idea how or when they will be reimbursed for these losses.


“We are having problems getting clear answers on any subject. … Housing says it’s the Navy’s responsibility, and the Navy says it’s housing. … We are being stonewalled,” said the wife, who asked not to be identified because she has been harassed for previously speaking out.


A Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command contractor collects a water screening sample in support of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) water quality recovery efforts Dec. 22, 2021. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Christopher Thomas.

The Navy began flushing the system last month, starting with a test run in the Pearl City Peninsula military housing neighborhood. The effort was delayed, however, by heavy rains at the start of the new year, according to service officials.


The Hawaii Department of Health issued an emergency order Dec. 6 requiring the Navy to drain the tanks at the fuel facility, which can hold up to 250 million gallons of fuel for aircraft and ships and is one of the country’s largest storage facilities.


The Navy has protested the order. A Hawaii health official affirmed the order Tuesday; the Navy has not announced whether it will appeal the decision.


Read Next: In Ukraine, National Resistance Is Now the Law



Coffee or Die
Coffee or Die

Coffee or Die is Black Rifle Coffee Company’s online lifestyle magazine. Launched in June 2018, the magazine covers a variety of topics that generally focus on the people, places, or things that are interesting, entertaining, or informative to America’s coffee drinkers — often going to dangerous or austere locations to report those stories.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
Coffee Or Die Photo
From the Team Room to Team Room Design: An Operator’s Creative Journey

BRCC partners with Team Room Design for an exclusive T-shirt release!

Coffee Or Die Photo
Get Your Viking On: The Exclusive 30 Sec Out BRCC Shirt Club Design

Thirty Seconds Out has partnered with BRCC for an exclusive shirt design invoking the God of Winter.

Grizzly Forge BRCC shirt
Limited Edition: Grizzly Forge Blades on an Awesome BRCC Shirt

Lucas O'Hara of Grizzly Forge has teamed up with BRCC for a badass, exclusive Shirt Club T-shirt design featuring his most popular knife and tiomahawk.

BRCC Limited Edition Josh Raulerson Blackbeard Skull Shirt
From Naval Service to Creative Canvas: BRCC Veteran Artist Josh Raulerson

Coffee or Die sits down with one of the graphic designers behind Black Rifle Coffee's signature look and vibe.

Medal of Honor is held up.
Biden Will Award Medal of Honor to Army Helicopter Pilot Who Rescued Soldiers in Vietnam Firefight

Biden will award the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam War Army helicopter pilot who risked his life to save a reconnaissance team from almost certain death.

dear jack mandaville
Dear Jack: Which Historic Battle Would You Want To Witness?

Ever wonder how much Jack Mandaville would f*ck sh*t up if he went back in time? The American Revolution didn't even see him coming.

west point time capsule
West Point Time Capsule Yields Centuries-Old Coins

A nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that at first appeared to yield little more than dust contains hidden treasure, the US Military Academy said.

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
Contact Us
© 2024 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved