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Happened To...
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Del Monte makes progress
in cleaning up Poamoho landQuestion: What ever happened to a section of Del Monte Corp.'s pineapple plantation in Central Oahu that was contaminated by agricultural chemicals?
Answer: The Poamoho section, about a third of Del Monte Corp.'s 6,000-acre plantation, has officially been removed from the national Superfund list, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA-guided studies have shown that contaminant levels in the 2,000-acre Poamoho section are "far below our stringent, health-based guidelines," said Keith Takata, the EPA Superfund program director for the Pacific Southwest.
Del Monte, under EPA guidance, will focus cleanup on the remaining, southern portion of the site known as the Kunia section.
Over the next four to five years, Del Monte will pay for a $12.9 million remediation plan for contaminated soil and water.
Contamination of ground water at Kunia was detected in 1980, three years after about 500 gallons of the pesticide ethylene dibromide were spilled near the Kunia Camp Well in the Kunia Village area.
The Kunia well has been disconnected from Kunia Village's drinking water supply.
During a recent public comment period on the proposed action, the EPA received two letters in favor of it. The EPA's announcement was published Tuesday in the Federal Register.
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