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wastewater bill. Most jurisdictions charge a regular fee plus a usage fee. Commissioner <br />Bennett feels sewer fees should be connected to volume which could encourage people to <br />not waste water and use gray water for other purposes. <br />o Corporation Counsel Kamelamela commented on whether it was necessary for the <br />Commission to write a letter at this time since the Department is already doing a sewer rate <br />study. Timing wise, it may make more sense to hold off on writing a letter to the <br />Environmental Management Committee until the sewer rate study is complete and the <br />Department sends a communication to the County Council. In turn, County Council will <br />send the communication to the Commission for review and comment. <br />o Director Kucharski informed the Commission that the Department will be receiving a <br />$600,000.00 grant from EPA to create an asset management program for the Wastewater <br />Division. This program will allow the WWD to get a handle on all their equipment and <br />systems they have on hand and maintain them more efficiently. Part of the grant requires <br />that any wastewater system supported by EPA, must be sustainable. Which means the <br />wastewater rates must be high enough to support the cost of the systems. Right now WWD <br />is not sustainable. Director Kucharski stated “last year WW took $2.3 million out of the <br />general fund.” <br />o Commissioner Bennett stated “in the near term there’s going to be a discussion about rates. <br />As a result of this feasibility study assuming that it gets funded and executed, there will be <br />another examination of rate structures which may end up modifying the rate structures <br />again. And so I appreciate that the rate issue needs to be addressed right now in the current <br />structure but thinking down the road 10, 15 years, that rate structure will need to be re- <br />evaluated in the context of alternative systems.” Director Kucharski agreed. <br />o Commissioner Osborne suggested that “Mr. Kamelamela’s advice is sound and that we <br />consider providing a letter at a later date once the sewer fees are brought before us for <br />consideration.” Commission Chair Fritz agreed, and stated “the letter is on hold right now <br />until the feasibility study is in our hand and we have recommendations by the study.” <br />o Commissioner Bennett would like to hear the affirmative that flow structure will be <br />considered in the fee structure. Director Kucharski stated “it will be considered.” <br />b. Discuss whether wastewater being discharged at Kealakehe Police Station is treated or <br />not treated <br />o Commissioner Fear stated “2 million gallons is coming out of the pipe every day or 1.8 <br />million. How many ponds do we have?” Director Kucharski answered “roughly, yes. <br />There are five (5) operating ponds. We have six (6) ponds total, five of them in <br />operation.” <br />o Director Kucharski stated “we have a level of chlorination though not required by our <br />permit on the discharge to partially disinfect the discharge that we have. But all discharges <br />are regulated by the State, permitted by the State and we comply with all State standards <br />on discharge.” <br />o Commissioner Fear stated “people are getting sick so we need to find out if that stuff that <br />we’re dumping at Kealakehe is coming out in the harbor or any of our beaches.” Director <br />Kucharski stated “it’s being transported I believe via groundwater flow. The issue is we <br />have significant groundwater flows. We do not measure the quality of the groundwater <br />before it comes to Kealakehe.” Discharge going in to the sumps are DOH approved. <br />Commissioner Fear suggested doing a dye test so the Department knows where the 2 <br />million gallons of discharge a day is going. Kids are still getting sick so Department needs <br />to be able to prove it’s not from the discharge at Kealakehe. <br />o Commissioner Bennett stated “the issue here is whether or not the wastewater is <br />disinfected. Disinfection under State law has a very strict definition.” He also added that <br />“the disinfection law for disinfecting wastewater is around 130 years old, and it hasn’t <br />been modified since. It is not disinfected as legally defined in State Law, and it is not <br />3 <br /> <br /> <br />