All News Releases By Date

U.S. EPA, HAWAII DOH RENEW SAND ISLAND SEWAGE PERMIT

Release Date: 9/30/1998
Contact Information: Paula Bruin, U.S. EPA (415) 744-1587

NOTES TO CORRESPONDENT:

     (San Francisco)--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the Hawaii State Department of Health today announced the renewal of the city and county of Honolulu's Sand Island wastewater treatment plant secondary treatment waiver, allowing the city and county to discharge wastewater that has received primary treatment under specific guidelines to protect ocean waters.  Since 1990, the city and county of Honolulu has operated the facility under a wastewater treatment permit and waiver from secondary sewage treatment requirements.  In today's action, U.S. EPA and Hawaii DOH have reissued the  permit with specific wastewater discharge limits and improved monitoring.

     Under the terms of the final permit, the city and county of Honolulu will upgrade their treatment to improve the treatment plant's performance and reliability.  The permit also requires the construction and operation of a disinfection process to further reduce bacteria in the treated discharge.  

     U.S. EPA and DOH held a public workshop and hearing on August 25, 1998.  All public comments received were considered in the final waiver decision and permit.  The final permit includes discharge limitations for solids, biochemical oxygen demand, bacteria indicators, pH, chronic toxicity, chlordane and dieldrin.  It also contains a monitoring program designed to evaluate the impact of the wastewater discharge on the ocean environment, demonstrate compliance with applicable water quality standards, and measure toxic substances in the discharge. The effluent will continue to be discharged via an outfall pipe terminating about 1.7 miles offshore from Sand Island, at a depth of about 235 feet.  The permit, including the variance from secondary sewage treatment requirements, is renewable every five years.

                                                      # # #