Aloha and Welcome to the HUMMA Project Website
The University of Hawai‘i at Manoa has been awarded approximately $3 million to conduct the Hawai‘i Undersea Military Munitions Assessment (HUMMA). This program will support the U.S. Department of Defense’s efforts to assess the potential risk to human health and the environment of an historic munitions disposal site located about 5 miles south of Pearl Harbor.
Sea Disposal Site Hawai‘i (HI-05) is the primary focus of HUMMA’s efforts. Historical records show that after World War II approximately 16,000 M47 100 pound bombs, each containing approximately 73 pounds of the chemical agent mustard, were disposed at HI-05. HUMMA will use HI-05 to develop a systematic approach for locating; bounding and characterizing deep water sea disposal sites; and assessing the potential impact of sea disposed munitions on human health and the ocean environment, and of the ocean environment on sea disposed munitions. If successful, the program will serve as a template for developing cost efficient methodologies for use at other sites of similar or deeper depths.
Funding for HUMMA was made possible through the efforts of Hawai‘i’s Congressional delegation and by the DoD (Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environment Safety and Occupational Health (ODASA-ESOH)) through its National Defense Center for Energy and the Environment.
This website will provide the public with accurate and timely information about the program and its results.