Maui plant fined for sewage spill
Maui County has been fined $4,000 for a 1.4 million-gallon spill December at its Kahului waste-water treatment plant, state and federal officials announced yesterday.
"While we are very concerned about such a large volume of sewage spilled, we trust Maui County will take all necessary corrective actions to prevent future spills," Alexis Strauss, water division director for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Pacific Southwest Region, said in a news release.
Treated waste water overflowed from an asphalt-lined storage pond, washing away the sand berm around it and flowing into the ocean, said Mike Tsuji, enforcement section supervisor for the Health Department's Clean Water Branch.
Warning signs were posted after the incident because the contaminated water could have caused infections of the digestive system, skin or ear in people coming into contact with the water.
The county also has 30 days to submit an engineering analysis of what caused the break and how it will prevent future spills, the EPA said.
Maui County officials could not be reached yesterday for comment.