General

Supreme Court Oral Hearings in Lahaina Injection Wells Case November 6, 2019

This is the Supreme Court justices (in black) questioning Mayor Victorino’s lawyers (in red), slightly condensed. Coral reef image courtesy of Caitlin Maratea, owner of Banyan Tree Divers in Lahaina. Elbert Lin Your Honor, I think if it still goes through the groundwater, the — the question under the statute is what is the — what is the conveyance, what is the thing that carries and delivers the pollutants. I think even if it’s forcefully … Read more

West Maui Reefs Horribly Degraded

These underwater pictures from the reef off of Kahekili Beach Park show the extent of the damage suffered in the last several years. Runoff, global warming and El Nino events have added to the attack on this precious and irreplaceable resource, but a significant contributor is the release of treated wastewater high in nitrogen and phosphorous through the Lahaina injection wells. These “nutrients” stimulate the growth of algae that smother the corals. Despite the scientific … Read more

Maui County Council petitioned to settle Lahaina injection wells case

August 28, 2019 #injectionwells #maui #petition A petition with 15,962 names was handed over to Maui County Council Chair Kelly King this morning, asking the County to settle the Lahaina injection wells case rather than pursue it to the Supreme Court, and to invest in eliminating ocean pollution instead of continued litigation. A large banner had a small photo taken in the waters off Kahekili Beach Park (where treated wastewater is released) for each of … Read more

Lahaina Injection Wells Frequently Asked Questions

What You Always Wanted To Know About The Lahaina Wastewater Injection Wells Case 1. The County Releases Wastewater Into The Ocean? After pressure from the community and from the EPA, the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility (LWRF) disinfects the wastewater with ultra-violet light to kill bacteria that are harmful to people. However, the resulting effluent is high in nitrogen, phosphorous and other chemicals that are harmful to the coral reef and to ocean life. 2. The … Read more

Forestry and Wildlife Service lets down the Hawaiian Hoary Bats

Comments to the Final PEIS for new Habitat Conservation Plans for four Hawaii wind farms The background to the proposed changes to the Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP) for three Hawaii wind farms and the requirement for an initial HCP for one that never had one is that the take (harassment, damage, kill) of Hawaiian Hoary Bats has been much higher than anticipated since the projects launched. For some of the wind farms, there is also … Read more