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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, January 28, 2003

State investigates alleged dumping by Oceanic Institute

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

WAIMANALO — An environmental watchdog group has filed a complaint with the state alleging that Oceanic Institute at Makapu'u is dumping wastewater into the sea.

The state Department of Health inspected alleged dumping Friday and will conduct a more thorough investigation today, said Michael Tsuji, supervisor for the DOH enforcement section.

DOH personnel from wastewater, monitoring and enforcement will go onto the property and determine whether anything is amiss, Tsuji said.

"When we find out more about it, we'll have to decide what action to take," he said.

Bishop Museum and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources have also been asked to evaluate life and water samples from the site, said Carroll Cox, president of EnviroWatch Inc., which brought the complaint.

The complaint stems from a recent Waimanalo Neighborhood Board meeting in which a resident expressed concerns about the water flow causing erosion at the beach, Cox said. Further investigation showed that the water was coming from the direction of Oceanic Institute, he said.

EnviroWatch is more concerned with the environment and what may be dumped into the ocean once water used in research is discarded, Cox said.

"I'm asking DOH to shut the dumping down and post health-warning signs in the outfall until we find out what's in the water," Cox said.

The president of Oceanic Institute was off island yesterday, and the person in charge of security and maintenance was away from the office all day.

Janet Crawford, the institute's public information officer, said she didn't know much about the wastewater system but added, "the Oceanic Institute operates its wastewater systems under a permit from the state Department of Health."

Sea Life Park general manager Wayne Nielsen said the park's saltwater system is separate from Oceanic Institute and he didn't know anything about the allegations.

The park has an open-water system that allows ocean water to flow through at a rate of about 5,500 gallons per minute, Nielsen said.

"Which means the water doesn't stay in the park very long," he said, adding that he's not sure where the water re-enters the ocean and would have to check with engineers in charge of the system.

Kim Kalama, a Waimanalo resident, said she's concerned, especially because the beach is a popular surfing and swimming site.

"People eat from that water," Kalama said, wondering what kind of chemicals or hormones might be released into the water from experiments. "Kids play in that stream."

The stream or outfall, Kalama couldn't say which it is, flows between the parking lot and sandy shore at Kau'po Beach, she said. The water comes from two pipes that join together and is constantly flowing, making her believe it is an outfall, not a stream.

Over the years, Kalama said she's noticed the sea life in the area change and local limu and fish disappearing. People going into the water complain about a stinging sensation that was never felt before and rocks have black greasy stuff on the bottom, she said.

"Right now I wouldn't let my kids play in that water," Kalama said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.