City acts to resolve EPA recycled water issue
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
The city is implementing measures to correct violations of two federal permits at the Honouliuli sewage treatment plant that were uncovered during an inspection by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a city official said yesterday.
But Frank Doyle, city Environmental Services director, said the administration disagrees with an EPA finding that millions of gallons of recycled water are being dumped illegally at the 'Ewa facility. The EPA last month said the use of recycled, irrigation-grade water to flush the treatment plant was a "serious misuse of reclaimed water."
Under a 1996 federal consent decree, the city is required to use at least 10 million gallons of reclaimed water per day for such purposes as irrigating parks, golf courses and fields. Flushing the treatment plant doesn't meet the terms of the decree, neither does buying recycled water without properly using it, the EPA has said.
The EPA last month warned the city that it could face daily fines of $25,000 per violation if corrective measures aren't taken. The city sent the EPA its response to the violations on Oct. 31.
The city pays United States Filter Corp. $1.17 per 1,000 gallons of reclaimed water that is treated at a facility next to the treatment plant. Doyle acknowledged that the city is having problems distributing the 10 million gallons produced each day, but argued the discharge of the reclaimed water is a permitted use.
"We have to make the water and if we don't have any place to go with the water, then it's going back to our outfall," he said.
Doyle said one proposal to make use of all the reclaimed water is to put it back into the drinking water system.
"We have a trench that we can put that water into and replenish our aquifer below the plain there," he said. Doyle added that he believed this would be a permitted use of the water.
In its response to the EPA, the city said it has or will take measures to correct the monitoring and maintenance violations. Doyle said that included the installation of flow monitoring meters to more accurately measure the efficiency of the plant.
He said it will cost less than $500,000 to meet the requirements.
Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
