What should the military do with the Red Hill fuel facility once it’s empty? Community members have until the end of this month to make their voices heard.

A survey that launched in March closes on May 31. It can be accessed at www.redhillrepurposing.com. Only about 500 people have responded so far, according to Navy Region Hawaii spokeswoman Lydia Robertson.

Joint Task Force Red Hill, the defense department group managing the World War II-era facility’s defueling, says the fuel depot should be empty by the end of June 2024. The secretary of defense ordered the facility to be closed following a water contamination disaster in 2021 that caused families to fall ill and island residents to rise up in outrage.

The Navy has proposed keeping the empty tanks and pipelines in place and permanently closing the complex by August 2027. Military officials have promised that the facility will never again be used for fuel, but some residents are skeptical and have called on the defense department to fill the tanks with some kind of inert material.

Survey results are anonymous and confidential, according to the Navy. They will be summarized in a report prepared by a contractor, the Nakapuna Companies, and submitted to the Navy.