Navy to start ventilating the seventh Red Hill Facility tank; air quality monitoring continues

by NCTF-RH Public Affairs

09 July 2025 JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill (NCTF-RH) will begin cleaning tank 2 at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF) this week.
  
With approval from the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), NCTF-RH personnel will start venting tank 2, replicating the process previously used during the safe and deliberate venting and initial cleaning of tanks 3 through 8. Tank 2 will be the seventh tank out of 14 to undergo the ventilation process as a part of the decommissioning of RHBFSF. Currently, personnel are venting tanks 3 and 4 in step 1 (preparation phase); removing solid sludge from tanks 5 and 6 in step 2; and pressure washing tanks 7 and 8 in step 3. The last phase is step 4, tank decommissioning. Six of the facility’s 20 tanks were empty and out of service before defueling began. Progress may be tracked via the website: https://www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil/Portals/101/27%20May%202025%20Dashboard.pdf
 
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, NCTF-RH is also taking steps to monitor air quality in the area.  
  
NCTF-RH installed nine air quality monitoring (AQM) stations in and around RHBFSF, including one at the Halawa Correctional Facility. Stations track changes in air quality, measure VOC levels, and collect atmospheric data (i.e., air speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure).  NCTF-RH personnel continuously monitor the air quality to ensure emissions from ventilation are maintained at less than DOH’s limit of 38 parts per million by volume (ppmv) total VOCs. Since degassing operations began in summer 2024, VOC level readings have averaged 0.059 ppmv.  


    
During the degassing phase, AQM data is updated hourly on the NCTF-RH mobile app, and daily on the NCTF-RH website: https://www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil/Tank-Ventilation/Air-Quality-Monitoring-AQM/. After the degassing phase, AQM data is updated daily.  
 
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, 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.