Some Hawaiʻi Island residents are suing Hawaiʻi County for an alleged violation of the Clean Water Act.
Hui Mālama Honokōhau filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court this week. They are a group of Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners and fishers who use Honokōhau Harbor in Kailua-Kona on Hawaiʻi Island.
They say that government officials have allowed treated sewage to flow from the county-owned Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant into a nearby harbor without the required permit.
About 1.7 million gallons of treated sewage are discharged every day into a natural disposal pit located upslope from Honokōhau Harbor, according to the lawsuit.
It then enters groundwater and flows to the harbor and surrounding marine environments.
The lawsuit calls on Hawai‘i County to upgrade the facility's wastewater treatment processes to reduce the amount of contaminants entering the harbor. These upgrades would put them in compliance with the standards for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.
The Hui first expressed their intent to file a lawsuit against the county in May.
A spokesperson for Hawaiʻi County said they could not comment on pending litigation.
