In a previous hearing, Member Paltin asked, what is this legislation *about*? Lahaina has 100% UV and Kihei will have it soon. Kahului had chlorine disinfection until 2018 when the DOH dropped the requirement and disinfection was ceased. Now, only Kahului has no solid plans for disinfection of injection well discharges, so this bill is about mandating disinfection in Kahului.
The Hawaiian Canoe Club holds a regatta event in the Kahului Harbor, which is only about 2000 feet away from injection wells at the Wastewater Reclamation Facility that discharge about 5 million gallons of infected effluent into nearshore waters every day. Either directly through groundwater, or through the in-out breath of the tides, the infected effluent is making its way into the regatta waters where fecal coliform indicator bacteria were measured in 2022 to be over 90,000 colony forming units per gallon of ocean water!
Nearby injection well discharges were also measured in 2022 to be greater than 91,000 colony forming units per gallon, so there has been a one-to-one correlation between the magnitude of fecal indicator bacteria found in injection well discharges, and in the Kahului Harbor. A 2012 Hawaii Journal of Medical Public Health study showed that, of all the demographics at risk from exposure to infected wastewater, "children and native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are disproportionately affected" by staph infections.
I find the new Bill 52 language provided by DEM to be excellent, except for the timeline of 15 years or by 2039. A senior engineer at a local engineering firm that partners with the County stated that the timeline for installation of a project like UV in Kahului is 5 years from concept to completion. With the wildfire disaster, I believe displaced residents should have #1 priority in the County budget for several years, so I suggest a 5 + 2 = 7 year implementation date of January 1, 2031. That way, the County can begin allocating funding for Kahului UV upgrades in the FY2027 budget, to start investing in July 2026, which is over two and a half years from now. This will set a target for implementation of Bill 52 that falls at the end a potential 2-term Bissen Mayorship.
The issues surrounding wastewater and the potential solutions to use it in a positive manner have been ignored long enough. The woeful mismanagement of land, water and other resources is beyond measure. The government must listen to and act upon proposed solutions now so that no more precious time is wasted resulting in irreversible loss and damage to critical ecosystems. Citizens -- members of the highest office -- regularly speak, cry, shout, beg to be heard...Public officials have a responsibility to do the job citizens pay them to and finally make decisions that accurately represent constituents concerns, wants and needs. Stop the madness, do better.
Polluted wastewater is a liability. It damages everything that it comes in contact with. R-1 water is an asset. It can be used to Maui's advantage. Having a 15 year time line is not serious. It is simply kicking the can down the road. Let the next guy worry about it. We can do better and we expect the county to do much better. Please get this done in half of the proposed time. The ocean, the economic engine of Maui, cannot wait 15 more years.
We need immediate action to protect our local fisheries as well as the reefs viability for tourism. We need healthy and resilient marine ecosystems to ensure the future generations can enjoy the bounty and beauty of Maui’s unique natural habitat. We need immediate action to clean affluent before it is dumped into the ocean. I want to see a staged timeline with major implementation happening within 7 years.
Aloha Chair Johnson and ADEPT Committee Members,
I am testifying today in support of Bill 52.
In a previous hearing, Member Paltin asked, what is this legislation *about*? Lahaina has 100% UV and Kihei will have it soon. Kahului had chlorine disinfection until 2018 when the DOH dropped the requirement and disinfection was ceased. Now, only Kahului has no solid plans for disinfection of injection well discharges, so this bill is about mandating disinfection in Kahului.
The Hawaiian Canoe Club holds a regatta event in the Kahului Harbor, which is only about 2000 feet away from injection wells at the Wastewater Reclamation Facility that discharge about 5 million gallons of infected effluent into nearshore waters every day. Either directly through groundwater, or through the in-out breath of the tides, the infected effluent is making its way into the regatta waters where fecal coliform indicator bacteria were measured in 2022 to be over 90,000 colony forming units per gallon of ocean water!
Nearby injection well discharges were also measured in 2022 to be greater than 91,000 colony forming units per gallon, so there has been a one-to-one correlation between the magnitude of fecal indicator bacteria found in injection well discharges, and in the Kahului Harbor. A 2012 Hawaii Journal of Medical Public Health study showed that, of all the demographics at risk from exposure to infected wastewater, "children and native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are disproportionately affected" by staph infections.
I find the new Bill 52 language provided by DEM to be excellent, except for the timeline of 15 years or by 2039. A senior engineer at a local engineering firm that partners with the County stated that the timeline for installation of a project like UV in Kahului is 5 years from concept to completion. With the wildfire disaster, I believe displaced residents should have #1 priority in the County budget for several years, so I suggest a 5 + 2 = 7 year implementation date of January 1, 2031. That way, the County can begin allocating funding for Kahului UV upgrades in the FY2027 budget, to start investing in July 2026, which is over two and a half years from now. This will set a target for implementation of Bill 52 that falls at the end a potential 2-term Bissen Mayorship.
Mahalo for your attention!
The issues surrounding wastewater and the potential solutions to use it in a positive manner have been ignored long enough. The woeful mismanagement of land, water and other resources is beyond measure. The government must listen to and act upon proposed solutions now so that no more precious time is wasted resulting in irreversible loss and damage to critical ecosystems. Citizens -- members of the highest office -- regularly speak, cry, shout, beg to be heard...Public officials have a responsibility to do the job citizens pay them to and finally make decisions that accurately represent constituents concerns, wants and needs. Stop the madness, do better.
Polluted wastewater is a liability. It damages everything that it comes in contact with. R-1 water is an asset. It can be used to Maui's advantage. Having a 15 year time line is not serious. It is simply kicking the can down the road. Let the next guy worry about it. We can do better and we expect the county to do much better. Please get this done in half of the proposed time. The ocean, the economic engine of Maui, cannot wait 15 more years.
Immediate need
We need immediate action to protect our local fisheries as well as the reefs viability for tourism. We need healthy and resilient marine ecosystems to ensure the future generations can enjoy the bounty and beauty of Maui’s unique natural habitat. We need immediate action to clean affluent before it is dumped into the ocean. I want to see a staged timeline with major implementation happening within 7 years.