Sand Island park closed as spill hits 2M gallons
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
City officials estimate that 2 million gallons of raw sewage spilled from a ruptured 66-inch pressurized main that feeds into the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant Thursday, making it one of the largest sewage spills in recent years.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
It was not known yesterday how much of the 2 million gallons spilled into the ocean.
Raw sewage flooded a picnic area at the Sand Island Recreational Area before the spill was contained.
The break was discovered at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Sand Island Recreation Area near the mouth of Honolulu Harbor. Because of the repair work, the state has closed the state park until further notice.
"This a big spill for us," Frank Doyle, city Environmental Services Director, said. "The location of the spill, no matter where it is, you're always concerned about the ocean. But this is a large spill."
The state had hoped to keep the park open, but the city installed a temporary 10-inch bypass line that runs above ground and through the park, said Dan Quinn, state parks administrator.
"In the interest of public safety, the entire area will need to be closed while the job is under way," Quinn said.
State Health Department officials were monitoring the water near the spill for contamination and posted warning signs from Point Panic at Kewalo Basin to Ke'ehi Lagoon.
"The Department of Health is always concerned when our waters are contaminated," said department spokeswoman Laura Lott.
Thursday's spill was the largest at the Sand Island facility since March 2002 when a 36-inch sewer line near Ke'ehi Lagoon ruptured and spilled about 3 million gallons of raw sewage. The 2002 break was in a line from the Kamehameha Highway pump station to the treatment plant.
Crews yesterday contained the Sand Island spill and were expected to begin excavating last night to reach the broken 66-inch main, which is 19 feet under ground, Doyle said. He said they probably won't know until today the exact cause of the break, although engineers suspect it may be related to a transition point where the 66-inch main under the harbor connects with a 78-inch main on land.
The 66-inch line is one of two huge pipes that connect the Ala Moana pumping station to Sand Island. An older 54-inch line is handling the flow, which averages 70 million gallons a day.
Doyle said he did not know how much the repair would cost, but he said it would take at least a week to complete.
Meanwhile, the Health Department continues to warn people to stay out of the water at several locations following sewage spills caused by last week's storms. They are at Kalihi Stream and Ke'ehi Lagoon; Waimanalo and Bellows beaches; Kawa Stream and Kane'ohe Bay; and Enchanted Lake, Ka'elepulu Stream and Kailua Bay.
The Health Department has lifted advisories at Pearl Harbor and off the Mokapu Peninsula.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources also has reopened most state parks on O'ahu, Maui and the Big Island that were closed Feb. 27 because of severe weather. But two parks — Malaekahana State Recreation Area and Ahupua'a o Kahana State Park will remain closed this weekend.
Staff writer Rod Ohira contributed to this report. Reach Curtis Lum at 525-9025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
