2020-07-22 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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• On the abandoned vehicle overview requested by Commissioner McIntosh, he can provide information at the next meeting, and he would request it be deferred until then. • He described the sewer repair packages used in Kona, how they get pushed into the existing collection system, expanded, set, and essentially become a new pipe inside the existing pipe. They will be proceeding along Aliʻi Drive in an a?empt to ensure the system is better. They are awaiting a new CCTV truck for the west side exclusively. One truck is approximately a $400,000 investment by the county, and this does not include the personnel and training needed to use it. They are also moving forward with the legislation needed to get control over the private laterals in the system, particularly from large commercial users. They are also in the process of dealing with a pre-treatment program, and code changes and administrative rules are being worked on to cover the process. Commissioner Adams asked the director about testifier Sandra Demoruelle’s statement about the Nāālehu spill being more than 70 gallons and the reporting requirements. ʻDirector Kucharski said there is a lawsuit on the matter, so he cannot comment directly. He gave a brief “primer” on how collection systems in general work in rural communities, how laterals are usually 4 to 8 inches, and how many gallons they could leak based on the length of the line and width of the pipe. A broken 100-foot, 4-inch pipe would leak about 65 gallons, and a broken 100-foot, 8-inch pipe would leak about 260 gallons. The reporting requirement to the State DOH is 1,000 gallons. Commissioner Adams asked about the status of e-waste collection, and the director said it is his understanding that they are waiting for the state to determine what the e-waste grant will be. Until they have that firm commitment, they cannot commit to collecting with no funding source. Commissioner Fulton said she was excited about DEM working towards being able to inspect private laterals, as there is high index of suspicion that leaks are coming from them. She also complimented the department and Alika DeMello (superintendent at the Kealakehe WWTP) for responding so quickly to the sewer spill on Aliʻi Drive once they received notice of it. She would like to be privy to see the chloride readings of the various wells associated with the pump stations and asked if she could get that information. Director Kucharski said yes, but he would need to check on the frequency of the pump station samples, as they do not have permanent chloride monitoring of the wells. He will get what data they do have. Commissioner Gaffney asked about the latest sewer leak into Kailua Bay. Director Kucharski briefly explained how pump stations work. When they dug up the pipe on this leak, there was sewage bubbling up in the road in different locations, so they shut the pump down and diverted the flow using another pump station. The line was clay, and they found a concrete sleeve around the clay pipe, and this is what was releasing. It was an old patch that failed, so now it is being replaced with a new line for about 50 feet. 9