WAILUKU, Maui — Maui County is facing $200,000 in fines for unsanitary conditions at three landfills, including rats, fire hazards and excessive trash.

The penalties are part of an agreement negotiated between the county and the state to resolve nine years of disputes over the trash dumps.

"The main thing for us is to move forward and have the County of Maui operate the landfill in accordance with all operational standards," said Steven Chang, the state Health Department's chief of solid and hazardous waste. The Maui County Council still needs to vote on the proposed settlement.

Chang said the county has corrected most of the violations, and the fine is the only significant part of the settlement still pending.

At the Central Maui Landfill, a 1999 report found that the county did not cover its trash pile, resulting in litter being blown around the facility.

The county did not test the site for hazardous waste, and state officials found the "presence of flies, rats and dogs" without any program to control them.

At a site on Lana'i, the state cited a potential fire danger because large amounts of waste were left exposed.

"There were no fire mitigative measures, such as water trucks, soil pile, and daily or intermediate cover to prevent and respond to the fire situation," according to a 2000 report.

At the third site, which is another part of the Central Maui Landfill, construction was started without approval from the state in 1997. The county also deviated from its construction plans without informing the state.

Health officials later refused to give a permit to the landfill, saying runoff collection systems, environmental standards and fill amounts to protect plastic liners were inadequate.

The facility is now operational, but the delay in an agreement led to trash piling up higher than it should at the older parts of the landfill. The county could reduce its cash portion of the fines to $100,000 if it agrees to spend another $100,000 on additional environmental improvements to the landfills.