Military housing around Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii noticed a bizarre odor in their drinking water Sunday, following a nearby Navy fuel leak on Nov. 22, according to the Honolulu Civil Beat.
Local Doris Miller Park resident Valerie Kaahanui noticed the smell around the same time as the fuel leak, the Honolulu Civil Beat reported. Kaahanui noted the smell was like “gasoline,” and that military housing is telling members of her community “don’t drink the water.”
The scent also led to the closing of the Holy Family Catholic Academy and Preschool, according to the Honolulu Civil Beat. The school has also taken steps to block off water fountains and sinks, while making changes to the process of food preparation to avoid contact with tap water.
The fuel leak took place in the Red Hill underground storage facility, with approximately 14,000 gallons of fuel and water spilling out, according to the Associated Press. At the time, the Navy stated that the spill would not affect the drinking water of nearby communities. (RELATED: Oil Spill Devastates Wildlife Off Coast Of California)
The spill follows a request earlier in November by Hawaii’s congressional delegation for the Department of Defense’s inspector general to investigate the Navy’s handling of a fuel leak near Pearl Harbor, the Associated Press reported.
The United States Navy did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. The Holy Family Catholic Academy also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.