2019-02-27 Meeting Minutes (EMC)

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There is also a problem with infiltration and inflow. Aliʻi Drive is right next to the coastline, and there are rising sea levels. There will be greater hydrostatic pressure on those sewer lines and a greater amount of infiltration and inflow. (The EMC's 3-minute time limit for public testimony was reached, but the commissioners extended it to hear Mr. Holmes.) Mr. Holmes said that the collection system needs to be fixed, which in turn would reduce the flow and pumping costs. When salt water comes into the system, it is very corrosive and eats the components, so there is a big maintenance cost. Corrosion also reduces the capacity of the plant. The real key is to not have the effluent be too salty. The R-1 treatment does nothing in terms of reducing the salt in effluent, as that would require reverse osmosis. Honolulu took a very different approach than what is proposed here. They created the Honouliuli Water Recycling Facility though a public-private partnership with the Veolia company, and it did not cost the taxpayers of Oahu anything. The facility pays for itself through the sale of reclaimed water. The council helped create the market for the water by mandating it through the development plan process. Hook-ups to the plant were mandated, which instantly created the market. Developers benefit by the reduced irrigation costs, because the money they would normally pay for new water development goes down dramatically since they are incorporating reuse into their projects. Today Honolulu treats less wastewater and uses less water than it did 25 years ago, in spite of all the growth. As an economic model, their system makes more sense. Hawaiʻi County does not have the staff to handle water reuse. Director Kucharski is struggling just to fill positions he has for existing jobs. Mr. Holmes suggested an RFP be done to bring in companies that do R-1 for a living, who have business models and experience. Veolia, for example, does it all over the world. That kind of expertise should be brought here rather than bootstrapping it as an additional responsibility for DEM. In Honolulu, the program was administered by the Board of Water Supply, not the Wastewater Division. This makes sense, because Water Supply has the customer base and already knows where the high users are. They know where all the irrigation goes, and they can match the highest and best use so as to protect potable water. The future of water is going to be in reuse. Honolulu has no choice, because the whole island is virtually a water management designation, and they have a huge amount of growth compared to the Big Island. He does not mean to say that Honolulu’s solutions are best for the Big Island, but it is something that should really be considered. It is necessary to get the attention of our Department of Water Supply, as they are purveyors of water. They maintain the drinking water lines and deal with all of the easements, and for a whole range of reasons it makes a lot of sense for them to be involved and be a part of the solution. This should be brought before the County Council, which has the authority to assign the responsibility. He wants the R-1 system to succeed. There is a way to get it done, but he is concerned that the existing draft EIS has several major flaws.