The contamination crisis in Honolulu, in which drinking water from the Red Hill well was found to contain petroleum, has only escalated since the Navy slowed pumping at the well last week. The Red Hill well, which provides drinking water to the community at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, has since been shuttered and operation of the fuel tank above a major aquifer has since halted. The Red Hill system alone serves around 93,000 customers, many of whom complained about the water smelling like fuel and falling ill from using it. Over the course of multiple town halls, residents described the horrible effects the water has had on their families. One woman said her children’s skin felt like it was burning after they took a bath in the water. Another resident was forced to put her dog down. It isn’t just the Red Hill well that has been contaminated, however. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) decided to shut down the Aiea Halawa shaft after it was found to have diesel fuel at levels more than double the limit for drinking water. The shaft serves 20% of the island of Oahu and draws from the same source as the Red Hill well. Navy tests revealed that samples of its water contained 920 parts per billion of total petroleum hydrocarbons diesel range organics. The limit set forth by the Hawaii Department of Health is 400 parts per billion. Late on Wednesday, the board shut down the Aiea well and Halawa well as a precautionary measure. Samples from both wells are expected late next week. BWS Manager and Chief Engineer Ernest Lau called the situation “not acceptable” in a press release. “I am deeply troubled and we have requested all pumpage and test data from the Dept. of Health on the Red Hill Shaft and the Aiea-Halawa Shaft. We need to have this data in order to make solid and informed decisions regarding our system so we can continue to service our customers,” Lau said. The agency is expected to hold its board meeting on Monday. An agenda for the upcoming meeting shows a resolution to address the Red Hill well as the top action item for the board, after approving the prior meeting’s minutes. Read more