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Agenda Item

CARE-17 CC 20-521 WASTEWATER FACILITIES IN SEA LEVEL RISE EXPOSURE AREAS (CARE-17)

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    Travis Liggett about 3 years ago

    Aloha Councilmembers,

    I support the prohibition of any entirely new wastewater reclamation facilities in tsunami zones. However, I do not want to see any bill enacted that prohibits the planned "R-1" upgrades at the Kahului-Wailuku Wastewater Reclamation Facility. These are important upgrades including the installation of hardware to enable ultraviolet disinfection treatment that will allow the facility to:
    1. produce R-1 disinfected reuse wastewater to supply reuse projects in Central Maui, and
    2. to disinfect effluent disposed into very nearshore injection wells near Kanaha recreation areas.

    If a bill completely prohibits any new wastewater infrastructure construction in tsunami zones then these important upgrades might be blocked. Please add specific language that carves out an exception for "R-1" upgrades at the Kahului-Wailuku Wastewater Reclamation Facility. We cannot wait for an as-yet undefined completely new wastewater reclamation facility in the middle of the valley, we need to stick to the current plan to upgrade Kahului-Wailuku WWRF to produce R-1 by 2025. We need rapid transition to 100% reuse so if you do pass a bill that prohibits all new wastewater infrastructure construction in a tsunami zone, be absolutely sure that it does not block the long overdue "R-1" upgrades in Kahului. Even if we continue to use injection wells there, 100% of that effluent should always be disinfected. It may not be a legal standard, but it should be a community standard we uphold as an island to avoid giving rise to conditions in which human beings or marine life are spending time in non-disinfected wastewater.

    Mahalo for your attention,

    Travis Liggett
    President, Reef Power LLC
    www.reefpowermaui.com
    www.instagram.com/reefpowermaui