Mayor outlines
city plan for sewers

Mayor Mufi Hannemann launched a relief effort yesterday to shore up the aging sewer system before the city is hit with hefty fines and costs.

Operation FIX (Fast, Immediate, Expedited) 1) Develop a strategic action plan. An Operation FIX working group of city employees plus consulting experts in law, engineering and toxicology will advise the mayor on improvements to the sewage system. 2) Maximize productivity of capital improvement efforts. Raising city engineer salaries to improve retention, having them assigned to the Environmental Services Department, and using more "design-build" contracts. 3) Maximize productivity and capability of operations and maintenance. Centralizing management, expanding and updating training, upgrading technology and using more efficient cleaning equipment. 4) Recommend a schedule for increased sewer fees. Increases of 25 percent this year, followed by five years of additional 10 percent increases, with a pledge not to divert the money for any other purpose. 5) Create and foster a proactive work environment and public education program. Open communication with state and federal regulators and the public, plus more cooperation with other levels of government.

Meeting with reporters at the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, he called fixing the aging system, plus facing the threat of up to $1 billion in fines and a Sierra Club lawsuit, "probably the most daunting challenge that this administration faces."

"We are working as quickly as possible to rectify the problems that have accumulated through the years, but it's not going to be easy," he said. "We've already had 13 sewage spills since I took office in January."

Despite spending $726 million on sewer improvement projects in the past 12 years, the city continues to struggle with a high volume of sewage spills.

Hannemann proposes $241 million for sewer upgrades this year -- more than half of the capital improvement budget -- and a total of $661 million in the next four years.

His proposal would average $165 million a year, more than doubling the average annual spending between 1994 and this year.

Hannemann dubbed his sewer improvement program "Operation FIX" yesterday, for "fast, immediate, expedited."

The mayor said he expects staff in the city departments of Environmental Services, Design and Construction, Corporation Counsel, Facility Maintenance and the Board of Water Supply "to come up with a very proactive strategy" with assistance from outside experts.

"In my State of the City address, I made it real clear that we were going to take the issue of our municipal waste-water treatment system very seriously -- that we were going to begin a very proactive approach to repair our sewer lines," he said.

Department of Environmental Services Acting Director Eric Takamura said yesterday that he expects three things to make sewer work happen more quickly:

Hannemann called his meeting last week with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials "very successful. It was, I believe, the first time a Honolulu mayor actually went to San Francisco accompanied by his team to speak very proactively with the EPA, to let them know exactly where we are and what we are doing.

"We were lauded for being very bold, but at the same time they reminded us that there is still a lot of work they expect the city to do," Hannemann said.

The mayor promised "a very open dialogue with our regulators, the state Department of Health and the EPA." And he said he will seek cooperation from state officials and the state's congressional delegation, as well as the City Council.

Hannemann also promised to inform the public and news media immediately when there is a sewage spill. There were several instances in the Harris administration when a spill was not reported to the public until a day after it happened.

And he pledged to make sure taxpayers "completely understand" why the city must spend so much on sewers. "We're doing it not only for today, but for the future, to preserve this pristine environment we call home, the beautiful city of Honolulu."