While the much-publicized mass transit debate continues, we must not ignore the ongoing battle over our sewage treatment system.

In one corner is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which along with well-intentioned environmental groups, feels that secondary treatment is required for the city's Sand Island and Honouliuli wastewater treatment plants. In the other corner is the City and County of Honolulu, which along with local water quality professionals, believes this is wasteful and unnecessary.

With sewage spills making the headlines, few appreciate significant wastewater system improvements of the past 35 years. In fact, the public often associates those spills with the treatment plants, when the real problem is the collection system.

In 1972, 62 million gallons per day of untreated sewage was being discharged in 38 feet of water just 3,700 feet off Sand Island. By today's standards, this would essentially be a 62 million gallon sewage spill daily. There was a constant thick gray-brown surface plume and thick sludge deposits on the ocean floor. The sewage usually drifted toward 'Ewa Beach and sometimes to Ala Moana Beach. There were also numerous wastewater discharges into streams and Pearl Harbor.

Despite this, local residents and tourists still swam, surfed and fished in the coastal waters without much concern or serious outbreaks of disease. Local residents ate the ogo seaweed that grew abundantly in 'Ewa due to the wastewater nutrients.

It was not until the mid-1970s and early 1980s that most nearshore sewage discharges were eliminated for Leeward O'ahu. This resulted from construction of the Sand Island and Honouliuli primary treatment facilities and ocean outfalls. The two outfall pipes extended more than 1.5 miles into water more than 200 feet deep. Primary treatment removed floatable and settleable solids and the deep ocean outfalls dispersed effluent to allow natural degradation of remaining soluble organic constituents. Thanks to our early sewer system planners, the city has two energy-efficient primary treatment systems that cost-effectively eliminate adverse public health and marine environment impacts. They had the foresight to eliminate most treated sewage discharges from our streams, bays and harbors.

The city primary treatment system is not in violation of water pollution regulations. In 1977, EPA implemented the 301(h) waiver program to allow primary treatment for ocean discharges, where oxygen depletion and excessive nutrients are not a problem (as it is in rivers and lakes). Along with reduced energy usage, primary treatment promotes sustainability through sequestration of carbon compounds in the ocean in lieu of releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

After all these years of permitting Honolulu with a waiver for these plants, and all these years of monitoring that shows no measurable environmental impacts, EPA inexplicably wants the city to spend nearly $1 billion to go to secondary treatment.

The city's secondary waivers are supported by a diverse group that includes water quality specialists, wastewater engineers, marine biologists, microbiologists and health officials. The full unwavering support of the scientific and engineering community is rare and impressive.

EPA's tentative denial of the waivers despite the overwhelming supporting evidence indicates that EPA would like to put an end to the waiver program. EPA spent more than 10 years reviewing the city's waiver reapplication, which points to EPA's lack of resources and commitment. The waiver program is costly as EPA's consultants must conduct extensive technical reviews. Threats of lawsuits from environmental groups do not help. Denial of the waivers would reduce EPA's costs by shifting regulatory responsibility to the state Department of Health.

Environmental groups continue to support their normally logical mantra that more treatment is better. In the past, they have helped to secure funding for critical sewer line projects by calling attention to sewage spill problems. On the city's secondary waiver issue, however, they are off-base and not well informed. They are essentially promoting a mechanized treatment process that spews greenhouse gases.

Projected future $300-per- month sewer fees to pay for secondary treatment will have tremendous financial impacts. It is senseless to create financial hardships and social problems by wasting hard-earned dollars on upgrades that provide no measurable public health and water quality benefits.

The general public, as well as lawmakers, community groups and business organizations, need to support the secondary treatment waivers. The Hawaii Water Environment Association Web site (www.hwea.org) includes a white paper discussing the waiver issue from a scientific viewpoint, and information on EPA's public hearing tomorrow on the Sand Island waiver.

Do not let politics affect your opinion. The secondary waiver is backed by sound science.

Roy K. Abe is a consulting civil engineer with 27 years of experience in sanitary engineering. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.