30 tons of illegal dumping at city site 'just a dimple'
| • | State fines Hawai'i County for violations at Hilo landfill |
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Central O'ahu Writer
WAIPAHU — A widening state investigation shows that illegal dumping on city property in Waipahu may have occurred on a massive scale, with hundreds of tons of appliances and other goods buried in an area the size of a football field.
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The 30 tons of compacted white goods — washers, dryers, water heaters, stoves — removed March 1 and taken to the Waimanalo Gulch landfill is only a fraction of what's buried at the old Waipahu incinerator site, Steve Chang, chief of the Health Department's Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch, said yesterday.
Carroll Cox, president of EnviroWatch, pokes through a pile of old appliances that had been dumped on city property at the end of Waipahu Depot Road. Tons of the discarded material were covered with dirt.
Concern that hazardous materials — lead, Freon, perhaps even asbestos — could be involved has prevented further extraction efforts, said Chang.
In other developments yesterday, Chang said:
- The dump site may have encroached on wetlands, which are federally protected. If so, that would make the dumping a federal offense and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would be called in.
- Ash from the city's incinerator — closed in 1994 — was found buried under a nearby bridge, also on city property. Because fairly high levels of lead have been reported at the old Kapalama incinerator, that raises concerns that lead could be present in the ash at Waipahu, said Chang. Plus, parts of the Waipahu incinerator still on site and bricks from the smokestack could harbor materials such as asbestos in their insulating material, he said.
The state will investigate whether the city followed proper procedures in shutting down and cleaning out the incinerator, Chang said.
Carroll Cox, president of EnviroWatch, an environmental watchdog group that discovered the buried material, said the 30 tons unearthed so far "is just a dimple in the whole thing."
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He estimated that the area may contain up to 200 tons of crushed appliances.
Discarded propane tanks dumped at the Waipahu site may pose an environmental threat to nearby wetlands, which are protected under federal law.
"This is not a solid waste site," Cox said. "This is a base yard. Every possible rule has been broken."
The possibility that the city may have been involved in the illegal dumping shocked environmentalists, who couldn't believe something like this could happen under the administration of Mayor Jeremy Harris.
"This is really embarrassing," said Jeff Mikulina, director of Sierra Club-Hawai'i. "This has been such an environmentally conscious administration ... Something like this, and sweeping it under the rug, really destroys their credibility."
Harris has expressed his disappointment about the illegal dumping on city property, which goes against the city's efforts to push forward on recycling programs, such as curbside pickups.
"Our policy is to create a sustainable community and recycle our wastes," Harris said yesterday. "We certainly don't want them illegally dumped or buried."
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As part of a separate city investigation, a consultant will run samples on soil at the site to determine what else is buried there and whether those materials are hazardous, said Chang.
EnviroWatch President Carroll Cox points to a pile of propane tanks found near the city's old incinerator at the end of Waipahu Depot Road. Cox alleges that tons of the discarded propane tanks were being readied for burial.
"We have to find out what is the extent of white goods buried on site," Chang said. "(After the test results) we'll get a better sense of how much and what kind of material is buried."
Should the results show hazardous material, excavation of the buried goods may take longer, he said.
Chang said if refrigerators or air-conditioners are buried on the site, the Freon in them would pose a health and environmental risk.
Exposure to lead, Freon and asbestos has been linked to a number of health problems, including birth defects, cardiac arrhythmia and cancer.
The old incinerator site is on Waipahu Depot Road behind the Honolulu Police Department's training center and next to the Waipi'o Soccer Complex.
There are no operating incinerators left, except for H-Power near the Waimanalo Gulch landfill.
City Councilman Nestor Garcia said the area had been slated for additional locker room space for the soccer complex.
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"It was going to be built right on or adjacent to these dumping sites," said Garcia, who represents Waipahu. "That's my concern. I'm troubled by what's happening here. I don't know the extent of the contamination ... but I want to make sure that it's safe."
In addition to discarded goods, ash from the incinerator, which was closed in 1994, was found at the Waipahu site.
The state will not excavate any more white goods from the site until the city submits its soil sampling results, Chang said.
The improper burial of appliances could result in a fine of up to $10,000 per day from the time of the violation.
"We believe this is a serious issue," Chang said. "We believe the city should be responsible for this. The question is how this was allowed to happen ... This shouldn't have happened."
Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 535-8103.
