--- title: "US Military Criticized for Dumping Sewage Into Hawaiian Ocean" description: "The US military keeps dumping sewage into Hawaii's Pearl Harbor thanks to its poorly-maintained wastewater sanitation systems." date: "2022-10-03" modified: "2022-10-03" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/military-criticized-dumping-sewage-hawaii" categories: - "Military" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Hawaii" - "the digest" - "wastewater" - "water contamination" --- # US Military Criticized for Dumping Sewage Into Hawaiian Ocean ![The US military keeps dumping sewage into Hawaii's Pearl Harbor thanks to its poorly-maintained wastewater sanitation systems.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Smell Grant The US military keeps dumping wastewater into Hawaii's Pearl Harbor — and the locals are, understandably, pissed. As [the *Honolulu Civil Beat* reports](), the famous harbor is now an Environmental Protection Agency-identified Superfund site thanks to a busted Naval wastewater line that released more than 1,000 gallons of raw sewage into Hawaii's coastal waters. What's worse: this isn't the first, or even the second, time the US military has been responsible for dumping raw sewage in the oceans surrounding Hawaii, the *Civil Beat* notes. At the end of September, the [state fined the Navy a whopping $8.7 million]() for reportedly tainting coastal waters *hundreds* of times with fecal bacteria because due to its extremely messed-up wastewater treatment facility. "Hawaii's health department \*literally\* just fined the Navy nearly $9 million for this shit," [tweeted]() Christine Jedra, the *Civil Beat* reporter who wrote the wastewater story, "and it happened again." ## Unrecoverable The Navy said in a statement provided to the *Civil Beat* that although the wastewater line leak has been plugged, the sewage that had already leaked into the harbor was "unrecoverable," adding that it would be testing the wastewater for illness-causing fecal bacteria. Between the wastewater pollution and the military's [jet fuel leaks that contaminated drinking water]() on Oahu — which are the now subject of [a class action lawsuit filed against the US government]() from four families affected by the incident — Hawaiians are calling on the military to either [clean up its act or get off the islands](). https://twitter.com/oahuWP/status/1575692011935387648 While water contamination is unfortunately [as American as apple pie](), it just adds another layer of difficulties for the 50th state, which has suffered extensively [due to the presence of the US military]() since long before it became part of the United States in the late 1950s. As of now, it's unclear whether the Navy or the US military will actually take any steps to change the way it handles wastewater in Hawaii — or if the people of the island may indeed start forcing a renegotiation of the military's presence on their land. **READ MORE:** [Navy Releases Another 1,000 Gallons Of Raw Sewage Into Pearl Harbor]() \[*Honolulu Civil Beat*\] **More on water crises:** *[The Water System in Jackson, Mississippi Has Effectively Collapsed ]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()