Posted on: Tuesday, November 9, 2004
Sewage pollutes Kailua stream
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer
Wet weather over the weekend caused two sewage-related problems in Windward O'ahu, including one that will leave signs warning of polluted water at Kailua Beach at least through today, according to the state Health Department.
Today will mark the third consecutive day that people are being warned to stay out of the water at Kailua Beach after heavy rains caused 5,000 gallons of rain-diluted raw sewage to overflow from a manhole on Wana'ao Road Saturday night and enter Ka'elepulu Stream.
Meanwhile, at nearby Marine Corps Base Hawai'i, heavy rains combined with grease build-up in the sewer system forced the wastewater treatment plant to skip a step in the treatment process yesterday for 67,000 gallons of wastewater and release partially treated sewage through the outfall off Mokapu peninsula.
Marine officials said the bypass of some treatment occurred so that the plant could make mechanical repairs. State health officials were notified.
While the Mokapu release is considerably bigger than the one at Ka'elepulu Stream, it is considered less hazardous because it was partially treated and because the outfall is far from the beach, officials said.
The city is monitoring water quality in the area of both releases, but initial results were not available late yesterday afternoon.
State engineer Libby Stoddard, of the Health Department's Clean Water Branch, said bacteria counts generally remain high in shoreline waters for several days after heavy rains because of urban run-off — even when no sewage spills occur.
Runoff from the heavy rains turned the nearshore waters brown across the island, Stoddard said.
The city has spent millions of dollars in recent years to help prevent rainwater from getting into the sewage system. The infiltration of rain across O'ahu has caused chronic problems with wet-weather sewage spills. The city is under court order to reduce the number of spills.
The Kailua spill occurred from about 9:30 to 10:15 p.m. Saturday from a manhole near 429 Wana'ao Road. City wastewater crews notified the Health Department, and on Sunday city workers posted 125 signs along the beach, the stream and much of Kailua Bay.
Reach Robbie Dingeman at 525-2429 or rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.
