Sierra Club Maui Group, EarthJustice, Hawai?i Wildlife Fund, Surfrider Foundation, and West Maui Preservation Association have reached a settlement with the County of Maui to treat, divert and reuse the waste water which the County currently injects into wells.
Earlier in the year, a court ruled that the County of Maui was acting illegally by injecting R2 water into sewage injection wells. A dye study revealed the sewage was seeping into the ocean near the Kahikili reef, polluting Kahekili Beach Park in West Maui, killing coral reef and triggering outbreaks of invasive algae.
The ruling in January required that the county pay penalties up to $37,500 per violation of the Clean Water act. Multiple violations occur every day that the county operates the facility. Maximum penalties could have already exceeded $100 million. Daily fines of $100,000 were being incurred each day.
This settlement caps the fine that Maui County must pay at $100,000 but requres that they build a $2.5 million water-reuse project in West Maui.
Maui Sierra Club Conservation Chair, Lucienne de Naie said,
“This settlement is a major victory in getting the County to stop using the reef off of Kahekili Beach as its wastewater dumping ground. It requires the County to invest in sensible alternatives to injection, meeting existing demand for precious water in West Maui by constructing infrastructure to get treated wastewater to golf courses, resorts, and others.”
Lance D. Collins, spokesperson for West Maui Preservation Association released a statement saying,
“It’s disappointing that the County chose to fight tooth and nail, wasting taxpayer money on expensive mainland lawyers rather than trying to protect the reefs at Kahekili Beach. We hope the settlement is a turn in the right direction. Reusing wastewater is good for the reef and good for West Maui’s pressing water needs.”