Hawaiʻi County says it will apply for a Clean Water Act permit because of wastewater discharges into Honokōhau Harbor.
This is part of a partial settlement agreement with the county and Hui Mālama Honokōhau, a group of Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners and fishers who use Honokōhau Harbor in Kailua-Kona on Hawaiʻi Island.
This past September, a group of harbor users filed a lawsuit against the county for discharges from the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant into the harbor.
As part of the settlement, Hawaiʻi County will apply for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit within the next six months. The county will need to upgrade its facility to comply with the Clean Water Act.
If the agreement is approved in federal court, the groups will turn to the second phase of the lawsuit. This would focus on the proper remedy for the ongoing wastewater discharges.
“We are happy that the County has decided not to waste further taxpayer dollars fighting the need for a Clean Water Act permit for its wastewater discharges,” Mike Nakachi, president of Hui Mālama Honokōhau, said in a statement.
“Local families have suffered far too long from pollution that fouls our ocean and threatens our health. We look forward to working with the county to find solutions that will benefit our community and the environment," he continued.
The state Department of Health administers the NPDES permit. The settlement reserves the plaintiff's right to return to federal court if the DOH does not promptly issue the permit.
