Gathering Place
Romy M. Cachola
More discussion needed
on impact of sludge plantThe city administration and Synagro Technologies, a residuals-management company, want to advance construction of a massive, $33.8 million sludge-processing facility at the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant with little community discussion. I have serious reservations about this project for the following reasons:
>> Public health and safety. Synagro's proposed "bio-conversion" facility at Sand Island will convert sludge to pelletized fertilizer, several thousand tons of which will be spread at city parks and playgrounds. Synagro insists that the processed sludge is clean and makes an excellent fertilizer.
Not so, says Laura Orlando of the Boston University School of Public Health. She says the process may not kill all pathogens.
David Lewis, a microbiologist with the Environmental Protection Agency, has spent years researching the ability of viruses, bacteria and parasitic worms to survive in treated sludge. He says regulations are not stringent enough to protect public health. Processed sewage contains the waste of thousands of people, and the pelletization process doesn't necessarily kill the toughest pathogens.
For every report suggesting sludge can be used safely, another raises concerns. Because of this and the potential liability to the city, an Environmental Impact Statement must be conducted.
>> Impact on tourism. Each year, the state, city and our visitor industry spend millions of dollars to lure visitors. We market Hawaii's beauty, pristine skies and magnificent skyline.
Famous places have their landmarks. San Francisco has the Golden Gate Bridge, New York City has the Statue of Liberty and Sydney has its opera house. Right now, Honolulu has the Aloha Tower and Diamond Head as landmarks.
If the city and Synagro have their way, it would be only a matter of time before the egg-shaped processing structure and tower become landmarks because both may be the first and last impression that millions of visitors going to and from the airport would see. Even worse, the growing number of cruise-ship passengers would get a rather unflattering view of this monstrous structure at Honolulu Harbor.
>> Visual blight. The egg-shaped structure and sludge tank each would stand 116 feet tall, almost double the allowed 60-foot limit in that area. They would be seen by not only Kalihi residents, but also by downtown businesses, high-rises and hilltop communities.
As directed by government officials, Synagro has made sure that similar facilities planned for Pinellas County, Fla., and Sacramento, Calif., are practically invisible to surrounding communities. If Synagro can make their structures invisible in places where tourism is not the No. 1 industry, then why not for Honolulu?
>> Impact to businesses and residents. Synagro's consultant has disclosed that the Sand Island facility has enough land to build a second egg-shaped structure in the future. This facility would handle not just Sand Island waste, but sludge from treatment plants islandwide.
If this is approved, trucks will pass residences and businesses on their way to the Sand Island plant. As Orlando says, "There is no 'blending in' when you are talking about hundreds of truckloads of stinking, toxic material hauled through a community."
I applaud the city's efforts in trying to solve our solid waste and landfill crisis, but it should take a more cautious approach.
>> Informed presentations should be made to affected communities and businesses.Even if dressed up as a misshapen pineapple, such a monstrous facility would be out of place so close to the airport.>> A full environmental impact statement is needed.
>> Further input from the visitor industry, the state Department of Economic Development & Tourism and the Department of Health on the effects of this project on tourism, businesses and residents is needed.
City Councilman Romy M. Cachola represents District VII (Kalihi-Foster Village).
