US faces federal lawsuit over water pollution
HONOLULU – Four families have filed a federal lawsuit against the United States alleging “negligence, trespass, nuisance, and medical negligence resulting in physical and mental injury” from jet fuel leaks. . contaminated drinking water in Oahu on Wednesday.
Families are trying to hold the US military accountable for contaminating public drinking water with jet fuel from the Red Hill bulk fuel depot near Pearl Harbor.
Austin-based Just Well Law and Honolulu-based Hosoda Law Group filed lawsuits in the County of Hawaii on behalf of the Feindt, Freeman, Simic and Wyatt families. The lawsuit was filed under Port Federal Claims Actwhich states that the United States “will be liable for actual damages or compensation.”
Kristina Baehr, an attorney for Just Well Law, told USA TODAY. She started filing torture lawsuits for families earlier this year.
The case “shows an opportunity for change because governments won’t make changes unless they are held accountable,” she said. “They didn’t warn these families that their water was contaminated when they knew it was contaminated – that was poisoning.”
Amanda Feindt, an active-duty military member and one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, called the filing “monumental.”
“No sense of urgency (of the military), no accountability (water pollution), no apology to parents for lying to us,” she said.
Feindt said her family could not afford medical tests and treatment due to contaminated water. “Our only option is to file a lawsuit,” she said. “My thinking is that if you are poisoned by the military, you will be covered by the military for life.”
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In 2021, two jet fuel leaks occurred at the Navy’s Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility – one in May and one in November, with a total volume of approximately 19,000 gallons. As a result of the leak, petroleum and other harmful chemicals entered the local water supply, which is used by about 93,000 people. The lawsuit alleges that the second leak was the fault of a “negligible” operator. “
The Navy did not immediately release news of the fuel leak to the families, who continued to use tap water. Families are often given conflicting updates about drinking water.
Feindt told USA TODAY her family moved into military housing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in early May and experienced symptoms of illness almost immediately. They know nothing about the May spill. “We’re just assuming we’ll be informed of any public health issues, which is to be expected of anyone, especially when you’re living on a military base,” she said. .
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Since then, Feindt said her family’s life has been “turned upside down”.
When her family felt sick, Feindt said they were denied a toxicology test by a military doctor. After months of asking about safety procedures, she chose to drag her two young children – a two-year-old son and four-year-old daughter – out of the Child Development Center, also located on the contaminated waterline.
After months of campaigning and living in a hotel, her family was moved to Colorado. Feindt said her husband had to quit his job and was unable to work because he was “too much in pain” and had internal bleeding and gastrointestinal problems. According to details in the lawsuit, her children are experiencing “behavior problems.”
Since March 2022, the government has consistently said the water is safe to drink, although many people say they continue to feel sick.