2018-06-27 Meeting Minutes (EMC)

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Director Kucharski said that is why they will be testing and having sampling wells. An issue is where they should be located to get good data. Chair Bennett said that leaves him a little uncomfortable, because the project might not perform as well as hoped. He wanted to see some laboratory scale. Director Kucharski said the tests are being done, but the results are not available at this point. Once they have the final design, all of the data will be included in the basis for the design. Chair Bennett had another question regarding the laboratory scale model to determine the absorbent capacity of the blue rock. He asked whether they are going to use fresh water that has been dosed with phosphorus or actual wastewater from the treatment plant, and Director Kucharski said that since the wastewater in the treatment plant will have other materials and will not have gone through a wetlands or filtration or UV, he can’t say it will be like the plant. It will probably be dosed freshwater (with phosphorus). Chair Bennett said that concerned him, because literature suggests that the salinity of the water influences the absorption of the phosphorus. The pH of the water alters, and the microbial overgrowth that occurs in the matrix of the blue rock can obscure the absorption. Director Kucharski said that is true with any adsorption system. The designers are aware of those limitations, and he will trust that their design is adequate. It will be tested, and they will have opportunity to modify or change out. If the blue rock needs to be changed out every 10 years instead of every 30 years, that is an additional operational cost. If it turns out that it does not pull out the phosphorus for some reason, that will be another issue to deal with. He cannot answer the number of “what ifs” on failure. He can only assume it will be successful, which is his job. He needs to be able to say he is confident it will work. The design firm has done this before, and it is not an overly difficult process or design parameter, other than distribution. It either will work with that distribution system or not. Commissioner Fritz said this is a huge waste of time on something that seems doomed to imminent failure. Blue rock is blue rock. It doesn’t absorb. A mat will be created from all the waste put on top, and it will negate contact with the blue rock. He asked who is paying for this, and Director Kucharski said DEM is. The R-1 system is about a $54 million cost and is budgeted. The SAT is a proven technology. SAT systems have been used all over the country, though not necessarily with blue rock. A lot of places have soil. It’s also been done in crushed rock. The SAT is an accepted treatment system by the EPA and by wastewater people across the country. It is not a new technology, but Hawaiʻi County will be the ?irst to use blue rock for the phosphorus. That is the only difference. The technology is basic and has been around for years and years. Commissioner Fritz said it just doesn’t make sense to him.