2021-10-27 EMC minutes draft - Laserfiche WebLink

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Chair Adams said she hoped commissioners took the time to listen to the presentation that Director Mansour and Deputy Wastewater Chief Eric Takamura gave to the RAWEEM Committee. It basically lays out the woeful status of why our wastewateris in need of so much money. It’s part of the challenge that we as a Commission face, about how we can come up with solutions. Chair Adams encouraged the Commission to look through presentation slides, and also if you can manage it, listen to where the Council members are coming from and what the key issues are. They are funding, personnel issues, and compliance with the array of EPA actions against us that are driving the need for DEM resources. Commissioner Fulton said she had not personally visited the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant but what was presented in that report was pretty stunning. Looking at the slides, it says that 86 percent of assets at the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant are condition 5, failed, or 4, rehab required. There are some stunning photos attached. It’s an effective and dramatic presentation that was made about the state of decay of the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant. That does raise questions about how effectively that plant is functioning, and we are getting into regulatory areas here. So the question is, is the Hilo WWTP consistently able to meet secondary standards? Chief Beck said yes, the plant is currently meeting permit requirements. There is a lot of deterioration and lack of redundancy, and we have had projects on the CIP list for years and years to try and address these issues. But as each year goes by there is a lack of funds or a lack of staffing. We need both, basically. For both areas it has just been depressing. But to answer the question, we are meeting discharge limits. Commissioner Fulton offered her sympathy for the position that all the good folks at DEM find themselves in, from the top down to the bottom. She has friends who have people working over at the Hilo WWTP and hears how guys are being sent all over the island, and the County government has deferred maintenance on our wastewater treatment system for decades, and now it’s catching up to us, and we are coming to a point of crisis. But it’s not the fault of people working at in wastewater. It’s the lack of funding due to that Division. And at this point we have to do anything we can to get more funding going to DEM. Chair Adams asked about the WIFIA money that was approved to buy generators. She was asking why generators were the No. 1 priority for the money. Chief Beck said that when she talked to Deputy Director Brenda Iokepa-Moses, she said it had to be for a specific use. Chief Beck said she inquired as to whether the money could be used for some of the repairs that are needed. She didn’t know too much about that. The Deputy Director may have more information on that. 8 Link to slides presented to Council’s RAWEEM Committee: http://records.hawaiicounty.gov/weblink/DocView.aspx?dbid=1&id=112837 16