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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> KAPOHO KAI WATER ASSOCIATION <br /> RR2 BOX 4043 <br /> PAHOA, HAWAII 96778 <br /> <br /> August 18, 2006 <br /> C7 <br /> Gary Saf 6k, Chairman O <br /> Environmental Management Committee <br /> County of Hawaii w <br /> 25 Aupuni St o <br /> Hilo, HI 96720 <br /> Mr. Safarik, v <br /> <br /> We are writing to you in the hopes that your committee will support an environmental <br /> cause we have undertaken. The cause, simply put, is to prevent residential wastewater <br /> from polluting the tide pools at Wai 'Opae Marine Life Conservation District and <br /> Kapoho Bay. <br /> <br /> Kapoho Kai Water Association, a non-profit organization of community volunteers, was <br /> established in February 2000, the end result being that 75% of Vacationland's 105 homes <br /> have converted from a water catchment system to County water through our private water <br /> system. In February 2005 our environmentally conscious Board of Directors added the <br /> phrase "sewer research" to our mission statement believing that an unfunded water <br /> supply would generate a significant increase in wastewater discharge from the large <br /> number of cesspools and septic tanks directly into our coastal waters highly frequented <br /> by visitors and residents alike. <br /> <br /> Located on the southeast side of the Big Island of Hawaii, Kapoho has two residential <br /> coastal communities developed in 1960: Kapoho Vacationland and Kapoho Beach Lots. <br /> Kapoho Vacabonland is bordered by the Wai 'Opae MLCD. Kapoho Beach Lots is <br /> bordered by Kapoho Bay. These two residential communities are undoubtedly the lowest <br /> lying coastal communities in Hawaii. Some older homes in Vacationland are a mere 1' <br /> above the mean high tide level. The result of so many homes discharging wastewater <br /> into the water table was documented by a series of tide pool water quality tests performed <br /> by Aecos Labs from February to August of 2005 (see attach A). The data from these <br /> tests revealed what is apparent by observing the condition of the Wai ' Opae tide pools. <br /> Excessive nutrient from wastewater generated by Vacationland's homes serves as <br /> fertilizer for algae that smothers struggling coral colonies. Bacteria levels exceeding <br /> State standards imply a possible health hazard to the estimated 50,000 people that visit <br /> the tide pools at Wai 'Opae annually. <br /> <br /> As a result of the water quality testing data our Board of Directors decided after much <br /> deliberation that a small diameter wastewater treatment system would be the best and <br /> only permanent solution to Kapoho's long standing tide pool pollution concerns (see <br /> <br /> Comm. No. IOU.?. <br /> Ref. To: <br /> Ref. bate AUG 2 3 2UU <br />