HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-10-31 Availability of the Preliminary Engineering Report -- DEM -- press release
Harry Kim
William A. Kucharski
Mayor
Director
Wilfred M. Okabe
Diane A. Noda
Managing Director
Deputy Director
County of Hawai‘i
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
345 Kekūanāoʻa Street, Suite 41 · Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
Ph: (808) 961-8083 · Fax: (808) 961-8086
cohdem@co.hawaii.hi.us
http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/environmental-management/
October 31, 2018
NEWS RELEASE
AVAILABILITY OF THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT (PER)
FOR THE PROPOSED NĀĀLEHU WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTʻ
A Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) for the proposed Nāālehu Wastewater ‛
Treatment Facility was submitted to the United States Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA) on October 25, 2018, as required by the Administrative Order on Consent
(AOC) signed by the County of Hawaiʻi (COH) and finalized on June 22, 2017.
In 1998, the USEPA promulgated regulations—40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
144.14—which required the elimination of Large Capacity Cesspools (LCCs). As a
result, the County of Hawaiʻi will close the existing LCCs in Nāālehu ʻand construct a
new sewer collection system located primarily within public right-of-way (ROW) and
replace the existing LCCs with a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to address the
wastewater treatment and disposal needs of the community.
The Nāālehu PER:ʻ
• Summarizes the evaluations carried out to design and locate a proposed
WWTP in Nāālehu, which will be constructed to treat and dispose of the ‛
wastewater flow that is currently discharged untreated to the LCCs, plus
accommodate additional sewer connections in support of the Kaū ʻ
Community Development Plan (CDP);
• Recommends a collection, treatment, and disposal system in compliance
with the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health and EPA requirements for the
replacement of the three LCCs and deteriorating collection system in
Nāālehu;‛
• Studied technology options for the proposed wastewater treatment system in
Nāālehu; ‛and
• Recommends a preferred site and conceptual layout for the new facility.
County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer
News Release
October 31, 2018
Page 2
The next step is preparation of a Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) in accordance
with Chapter 343, Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes. The PER will be part of the DEA
framework. The DEA is targeted for completion by the end of May 2019 Public
comment on the DEA will be solicited.
A new preferred site for the Nāālehu ʻwastewater treatment plant is described in detail in
the October 2018 PER. Siting was and is a critical factor for the community, and the
PER considered community input. A total of 32 sites were evaluated in Nāālehu. ‛ The
sites were each ranked based on 21 physical, cultural and social factors, including, but
not limited to, soil type, locations of subsurface and surface water resources,
archaeological and cultural resources, and social implications, such as land ownership
and proximity to public uses.
For further information, please call the Department of Environmental Management at
808-961-8083 or view and/or download the PER at the County website:
http://www.hawaiicounty.gov/dem-wastewater-division