Mercury cleanup
cost nears $250,000

The final tally will probably
be greater as contaminated
sites remain to be cleaned

By Mary Adamski
Star-Bulletin

The bill for clearing mercury contamination from a Halawa housing complex is approaching $250,000, and that does not include the payroll of government employees involved in the cleanup.

The state Department of Health yesterday closed its operation at Puuwai Momi, where 71 of the 260 units were found to contain the potentially toxic metal.

Still ahead is a cleanup of the pump house. The extent of the contamination there has not been determined. The Health Department will oversee the operation, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Defense.

Mercury was first found at the complex on March 12, carried there by children from an abandoned pump house near Pearl Harbor. Officials initially quarantined the public housing area while mercury spilled on sidewalks and grounds was cleared. Some units were so contaminated that walls, floors, furniture and appliances were cleared out. Recent efforts have focused on clearing personal property for return to owners.

No one became ill from exposure to mercury, which occurs in liquid form. Extended exposure to mercury vapors can damage the nervous system.

The quarter-million-dollars is owed Pacific Environmental Corp. The contractor has continued the cleanup. Health Department personnel and several other government and private-sector agencies have been involved in the operation.

"We have successfully removed the threat to public health and protected the residents of Puuwai Momi, and remain ready to respond immediately should any more mercury be reported," said Gary Gill, state deputy director for environmental health.

Mercury was also found in a unit of neighboring Makalapa Manor and at adjacent Makalapa Park. Crews have responded to 11 other reported mercury spills around Oahu in the past three weeks, although the same source is not confirmed for all.

Officials warned that any mercury that is still around should not be poured down the drain or put in the trash. Call the city Household Hazardous Waste information line, 523-4474, for information on disposal.