Sludge plant critics call for more tests
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Opponents of a sewage sludge recycling plant urged yesterday that more tests be conducted to determine whether the fertilizer pellets it would produce could threaten public health.
But city officials say testing shows there's no reason to further delay the $43 million facility planned for Sand Island by a company called Synagro.
"It confirmed what we always said, that the pellets were safe," city environmental services director Frank Doyle said.
Roger Fujioka of the University of Hawai'i Water Resources Research Center said he had warned the City Council that it was overestimating the scope of the testing when the council passed a resolution that required it. It should be no surprise that the tests did not reach conclusions about long-term impacts on public health, he said.
The testing found that the pellets contained a "non-detectable level" of salmonella that met federal guidelines, and contained no coliform or E. coli. More tests would be needed to determine whether the pellets can fuel salmonella growth.
Some Sand Island neighbors say they worry that using the pellets in city parks could make children sick.
Doyle said similar fertilizer has been imported from the Mainland and used on Hawai'i farms for years, and has long been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
City Council members Rod Tam and Romy Cachola urged that no building permits by issued until further testing is done beforehand. Fujioka said that could take three years or more.
Doyle said the plant is needed to reduce the amount of dried sewage residue dumped in the city's landfill. The city is bound by a federal consent decree to recycle some of its sewage sludge.
Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
