Comments sought on Kalihi sewage converter plant
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Residents in the Kalihi-Palama area will have a chance to offer comment about the city's plan for a plant that would convert sewage into fertilizer pellets.
A final vote is scheduled for September.
The facility has a 116-foot tall, egg-shaped "digester" that some City Council members fear is unsightly.
The council's Zoning Committee yesterday moved out a permit request for the project but wants a final vote delayed to allow more public input.
Councilman Romy Cachola, who represents the Kalihi-Palama area, said he was not briefed on the plan and does not think the public has been informed properly.
"We should not fast-track this type of project," Cachola said.
The facility would be at the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The project is expected to reduce the volume going into the city's waste stream. About 25,000 tons of sludge are trucked annually from Sand Island for disposal at the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill on the Leeward Coast.
The plant, called a "bioconversion facility" would convert that sludge into up to 8,500 dry tons of a marketable pelletized fertilizer. The city would get a share of any net revenues.
The estimated cost is $33.8 million, and operation is expected to begin in October 2004.
Synagro-WWT Inc., which will build and operate the facility, also is applying for a height variance to accommodate the structure, a request that will be acted on administratively.
The Sand Island industrial area has a height limit of 60 feet. A Synagro official said the structure could be built partially below ground, but only at a significantly higher price because the water table at Sand Island is 5 feet below the surface.
Planning and permitting director Eric Crispin and representatives for Synagro-WWT Inc. said efforts have been made to get public comment.
Crispin acknowledged that the building is "ugly" but believes the aesthetics can be improved by city officials working with Synagro to come up with a pleasing paint scheme. Crispin said he believes the facility is properly located.
Zoning Committee Chairman Charles Djou mandated that the final reading before the full council will not take place until Sept. 24 to allow Synagro to make presentations to the Kalihi-Palama Neighborhood Board, the Sand Island Business Association and the Kalihi-Palama Community Association.
Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
