March 20 UPDATE:
Wastewater Spill Notice: Līhuʻe Wastewater Treatment Plant
LĪHUʻE – The Wastewater Management Division (WMD), in compliance with the Hawaiʻi Department of Health Clean Water Branch, advises the public of an ongoing wastewater spill of about 70,000 gallons per day at the Līhuʻe Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The discharge remains confined within the facility and has not reached any public areas or state waters, and does not pose a risk to public health.
The intermittent discharges began at approximately 10 a.m. on March 17 and are occurring during peak flow periods, including early morning, late morning, and evening hours. The spill is due to decreasing UIC injection well capacity. High flows may continue depending on rain events, and additional intermittent discharges may occur during storm conditions.
Out of an abundance of caution, additional disinfection is being conducted in affected areas within the site. County crews are actively monitoring and managing flows to ensure the discharge remains contained within the treatment plant.
The Wastewater Management Division is working on both short-term and long-term projects to address the injection well capacity issue. WMD is also coordinating with the Hawai‘i Department of Health to evaluate options to expand UIC injection well capacity and increase R-1 reuse distribution to better handle higher flows.
For more information, please contact Donald Fujimoto with the Wastewater Management Division at 808-241-4083 or via email at dfujimoto@kauai.gov.
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