JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill (NCTF-RH) personnel will begin cleaning the second set of fuel tanks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF) Sept. 4.
With approval from the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), NCTF-RH will start by venting tank 6 at the facility, replicating the process previously used during the safe and deliberate venting and initial cleaning of tanks 7 and 8.
The initial venting, or degassing phase, eliminates volatile organic compounds (VOC) from the tank by pushing clean air from the bottom of the tank and exhausting it through a complex ventilation system. While this process is necessary to ensure a safe working environment within the tanks, the Closure Task Force is also taking steps to keep the outside air from becoming contaminated.
“To date, the air quality emissions levels from venting have remained within state emission limits," said Rear Adm. Marc Williams, NCTF-RH deputy commander. “The team will remain deliberate with safety measures to ensure ventilation of the tanks is done in a manner that will not pose a risk to human health as we move forward with tanks 5 and 6.”
NCTF-RH installed nine air quality monitoring (AQM) stations in and around RHBFSF, including at the Halawa Correctional Facility, to track changes in air quality, measure potential VOC levels, and collect atmospheric data (i.e., air speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure). NCTF-RH continuously monitors the air quality to ensure emissions from ventilation are maintained at less than DOH’s limit of 38 parts per million by volume total VOCs.
During the degassing phase, AQM data will be updated hourly on the NCTF-RH mobile app, and daily on the NCTF-RH website. After the degassing phase, AQM data is updated daily during ventilation operations. NCTF-RH has a series of fail-safes and redundancies to mitigate risk and safeguard the area around the tanks.
In the event of a VOC exceedance during operations, NCTF-RH will alert regulators, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, and the public via the NCTF-RH app, website (www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil), and a press release to the media. For questions or concerns, contact the Navy Call Center at 808-210-6968.
For more information about NCTF-RH, visit www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil or download our free mobile app by searching for “NCTF-Red Hill” in the Apple App store or Google Play store.
SAFE. DELIBERATE. ENGAGED. COMMITTED.
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