Kahului raises stink about sugar mill's odor

By Christie Wilson
Neighbor Island Editor

KAHULUI, Maui — Passengers arriving at Kahului Airport in the past couple of weeks have been greeted not by the fragrance of tropical blooms or the salty air of the nearby seashore, but by a much fouler odor.

Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co.'s irrigation system created a bad smell near the Kahului Airport. HC&S says it has started using an odor-suppressing additive to address the problem. Photo courtesy HC&S

That stink is emanating from the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. plantation in neighboring Pu'unene, which has been experiencing start-up problems with a new irrigation system that uses recycled wastewater. Recent Kona winds have spread the odor throughout Kahului's residential and commercial areas, which border sugar cane fields.

Derek Heafey, environmental affairs specialist for HC&S, has been busy on the phone with Kahului residents who are complaining about the smell. He said the company just yesterday began using an odor-suppressing additive in its irrigation system that should solve the problem. If it doesn't, HC&S will continue to seek a solution, Heafey said.

Odors from the sugar mill are not uncommon, and most Maui residents have learned to live with minor nuisances from the island's longstanding agriculture industry. But the bad smell from the HC&S mill has been stronger and more widespread in recent weeks because of several factors, including lingering kona winds and a new sprinkler system.

To conserve water, the mill recycles wastewater used to rinse the cane brought in from the fields. Dirt in the rinse water mixes with sugar from broken stalks, Heafey said, and "bacteria attack and eat the sugar, and that generates a really bad smell." The longer the water sits, the smellier it becomes, so the mill tries to move it through the irrigation system as quickly as possible.

Mosquitoes also have been a problem for the plantation when water from drip irrigation ponded in furrowed fields. So over the past eight or nine months HC&S converted to an overhead sprinkler system. Heafey said the new system has played a role in the odor problem by converting the recycled wastewater into a spray that is more easily carried in the wind.

"We're ironing out the bugs," Heafey said. "When the wind shifts, it should definitely reduce the impact."

Airport workers said the odor was particularly prevalent Friday and over the weekend. A Department of Health spokeswoman said the agency received three complaints about the smell on Monday. She also said there are no health regulations regarding odors.

Yesterday, stronger winds dissipated most of the odor at Kahului Airport, and several newly arrived tourists said they hadn't noticed any unusual smells. Porter Nohea Williams said he's gotten used to it.

"The last few days it's been strong, but it's just in the air so much you really don't notice it anymore," he said.

Reach Christie Wilson at (808) 244-4880 or cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.