On May 6, 2022, the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) issued an Emergency Order to the Navy requiring the Navy to defuel and close RHBFSF. A requirement in that order for closing the facility was for the Navy to meet with the DOH. That meeting was held on July 14, 2022, and included discussion on closure options and elements the DOH required in the Closure Plan.  The Navy’s Closure Plan, submitted to the DOH and the public on Nov. 1, 2022, included provisions for the Navy to explore and evaluate potential options. The Department of Defense will not allow for hazardous materials to be stored over the aquifer, and the Navy, at DOH’s request, has committed to exploring possible beneficial non-fuel reuses of RHBFSF. As part of fulfilling the requirement of the DOH, the Navy has awarded a contract to the Nakupuna Companies.  

Nakupuna and their subcontractors, CommPac and SMS, will conduct two separate surveys. The first will be an online qualitative survey available to the general public, and the second will be a quantitative survey made available through both a mail-in survey, with pre-paid postage, intended for the residents in the neighboring areas around Red Hill, as well as online for Oahu residents.

The online qualitative survey will give the public the opportunity to provide suggestions for repurposing of Red Hill and to gather an estimate of how people are hearing and learning about Red Hill and additional information they would like to know. 

The quantitative mail-in survey will gather resident feedback on input received through the website survey. 

After completion of the surveys, the contractor team will synthesize the recommendations collected from the surveys and outreach and provide them in a report to the Navy. This report will be used in future discussions between the Navy, the DOH, the EPA, and other groups as they formulate plans for the beneficial re-use of RHBFSF following its closure.