Posted on: Friday, February 25, 2005
Sewage fouls shoreline
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
MA'ALAEA, Maui — Rob Parsons was snorkeling off Makena when he swam into a vile ooze floating on the surface of what are normally crystal-clear waters. From the smell of it, there was no mistaking it was sewage.
"I held my breath and swam for as long as I could and for as far as I could," Parsons said, recalling the unhappy encounter six weeks ago.
Parsons, the environmental coordinator for Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa, experienced firsthand what others in South Maui have been reporting with greater frequency: Near-shore sewage slicks.
The suspected cause is boats dumping their treated sewage too close to shore.
Arakawa, with Parsons leading the way, is hoping to work with the Ma'alaea boating community to establish temporary pump-out facilities. Parsons said the plan, involving PVC hookups to every slip, could be up and running within a few months.
There are no sewage pump-out facilities at either Ma'alaea Harbor or the Kihei Boat Ramp, the main portals to the popular snorkeling areas on the South Shore and Molokini islet. But it is legal for boats to dump their effluent at least three miles from shore.
With an apparent rise in near-shore sewage slicks, government officials have come under increasing pressure to provide pump-out facilities at these ports.
"For years, the state and federal agencies have promised us that improvements would be forthcoming at Ma'alaea Harbor, including a pump-out facility for sewage," says Greg Kaufman, president and founder of Pacific Whale Foundation. "We've waited and waited. We've written letters, testified at state and federal meetings and even mounted a petition campaign."
Last month about a dozen people demonstrated at the harbor to protest the practice of dumping sewage into the ocean, and last week the Kihei Community Association held a public meeting to air concerns.
Coast Guard Lt. Robert Haggerty said most vessels in Maui County appear to be in compliance with laws mandating federally approved restrooms. In the past 2› years, only seven boaters have been ordered to fix flaws related to their sewage systems, he said, and only two have had to pay penalties.
But Haggerty said he and his staff have been devoting more time to the issue as complaints have increased. Boats under suspicion of dumping within the 3-mile limit are under more surveillance, he said, and boaters at Kihei Boat Ramp will be asked to participate in a related survey to increase the Coast Guard's database.
Pacific Whale Foundation has launched a pilot program at Ma'alaea in which a septic truck comes to the harbor on a regular basis to pump out the organization's double-deck catamaran, Ocean Spirit. The foundation plans to expand the program to its two other vessels at Ma'alaea by May 15 and hopes to inspire other commercial boaters to follow suit.
"Philosophically, we believe strongly that the ocean should not be used as a cesspool," Kaufman said.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has announced that it intends to include pump-out facilities in planned upgrades of the harbor using up to $9.5 million in federal funds linked to improvements for the county's interisland ferry system. But that project isn't expected to be realized for at least 18 months.
Reach Timothy Hurley at (808) 244-4880 or thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com.
