Sewage plan brings fears of health risks
By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
Residents and business owners in the Sand Island area are concerned that a plant that will convert sewage into fertilizer pellets will have adverse health and safety effects in their community.
They plan to call for an environmental impact statement before the City Council gives final approval to a permit for a 116-foot tall, egg-shaped "digester" that is expected to reduce the amount of sludge going from Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant to the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill.
The final vote on the issue has been delayed since August, and city officials want the council to approve the permit on Dec. 3 so the plans can go forward.
A longer delay could knock the city out of compliance with the solid waste handling portion of a federal consent decree that requires upgrades at the sewage treatment plant, according to city spokeswoman Carol Costa. Noncompliance would subject the city to fines.
In addition, Synagro-WWT Inc., which will build and operate the plant, said added delay could drive up the plant's $34 million cost.
Jim Hecht, Synagro's vice president for marketing, has been going to community groups trying to allay concerns about any health risks. He said the facility is fully enclosed so no gas or odors can escape. "They are designed not to have any environmental impact," he told The Advertiser's editorial board yesterday.
But Synagro's presentations have not convinced community members that more study is unnecessary.
"We are in favor of the city looking to an alternative for the sludge that the wastewater treatment plant creates instead of going to the landfill as it now does," said Rodney Kim, executive director of the Sand Island Business Association.
He added, however, "We're not sure that Synagro's process of the application of the byproducts is the way to go."
The planned "bioconversion facility" could make up to 6,000 dry tons of pellitized fertilizer from the 25,000 tons of sludge now trucked annually to the landfill. The city would receive a portion of any net revenues from fertilizer sales, as well as 2,000 tons for use at parks and other city grounds.
Final permit approval has been pending since Councilman Romy Cachola, who represents the Sand Island area, raised objections when the city tried to fast-track the permit process without consulting the council.
"It's a blessing in disguise because it gave us time to research and look at what this facility is actually about, and we came up with a lot," he said.
Although an environmental impact statement is not required for this facility, Cachola, the Kalihi-Palama Community Council and the Salt Lake Neighborhood Board want a full study.
The City administration is concerned delaying the project for the year it would take to do an environmental impact statement would put the city in jeopardy for fines, because it is a delay the city has control over.
Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
