This was a major sewage spill – the largest in Hawai’i’s history – and its impacts on fragile coral reefs and other forms of marine life will be felt long after the high bacteria counts are gone from the beaches. To make matters worse, the City/County has been well aware of the potential for just such a catastrophe, and has been on notice from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the aging and inadequately maintained sewer system.
"We've been concerned about the state of the entire sewage collection system on the island of O'ahu for a number of years now," says Kathi Moore, manager of the EPA's regional Clean Water Act compliance office in San Francisco.
In 2004 the Hawai’i Chapter of the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit alleging deficiencies in the City/County wastewater system. “This should never have happened,” said chapter director Jeff Mikulina.
The executive committee of the O’ahu Chapter Surfrider Foundation writes, “This huge spill is a shame not only as a bad accident but because it was a preventable accident. If repairs and maintenance were conducted as they should have been, this spill may not have even occurred. It is highly unlikely that this will be the last time we hear about sewage spilling into our precious oceans and beaches.”
Sadly, the spill did occur, and the damage is done. Public health officials and non-profit organizations will be monitoring bacteria levels, and citizens who care about our marine environment can follow the results through a number of sources, including news media, the City/County website ( www.honolulu.gov/csd click on “Information and Complaints” to find “City News Releases”), or through the O’ahu Surfrider Foundation site at www.surfrider.org/oahu
Those who would like to take action to prevent further sewage-related disasters should write to the Governor, to their U.S. and State Legislators, and to the Mayor and City/County Council members. Let them know that public and environmental health is a serious responsibility, and that this wake up call must be heeded to avoid future leaks and spills.
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