Navy Installations Command is now responsible for ensuring that all Navy bases in the U.S. and its territories provide quality water to personnel and families who work and live on station.
Vice Adm. Christopher Scott Gray, commander for Navy installations, issued a policy earlier this month outlining a new management structure for operation and maintenance of Navy drinking water systems to ensure oversight and responsibility in 10 regions.
The move follows a massive spill in 2021 of jet fuel into the Navy’s water system at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii that affected 93,000 residents on the installation and in nearby military housing communities.
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Previously, each Navy command had been responsible for managing its individual systems, according to a press release issued by the service on Tuesday.
“In order to ensure consistent management, policy and oversight across the Navy, these functions and responsibilities were placed under [Commander, Navy Installations Command],” the release states.
The contamination in Hawaii triggered a cleanup effort and closure of the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility responsible for the discharge. More than 2,000 residents, including active-duty personnel and military family members, have sued the Navy over health issues they say they suffered as a result of the service’s negligence.
Coleen San…
