Trash plan OK expected

Honolulu may soon get an answer on whether it can ship its garbage to Washington state.

Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said he expects the agency to issue a finding any day now stating that the plan to ship the trash would have no significant impacts.

The Department of Agriculture must ensure that no pests, insects, or animal or plant diseases are exported with the garbage.

Hawaiian Waste Systems was granted a contract to ship trash to a landfill in Washington. The company began collecting garbage in September and shrink-wrapping it in plastic.

For a time, the company stored the garbage at the docks, drawing complaints about gnats from neighboring businesses. Then it began storing it in a yard in an industrial park in Kapolei.

This month, the state Department of Health fined the company $40,400 for storing the waste for too long. Company officials did not respond to messages seeking comment.

500 waste gallons spill

The Health Department reported a 500-gallon wastewater spill yesterday into a ditch that flows to Nanakuli Beach Park.

A sandbar blocks the drainage ditch from entering the ocean, but the public is advised to stay out of the ditch, said Watson Okubo of the department's Clean Water Branch.

Okubo said the city Department of Environmental Services notified the branch of a 850-gallon spill from a manhole near 89-319 Mano Ave. City crews were able to recover 350 gallons.

Although it was not their responsibility, city crews took the initiative to free the flow, clean up and disinfect the manhole spill site, Okubo said.

The overflow was blamed on a concrete slab in the sewer line. The slab will be taken out later.

Isle unit being deployed

About 200 Hawaii-based soldiers are due to deploy to Afghanistan next month as part of the U.S. buildup there.

The soldiers are with the 307th Integrated Theater Signal Battalion. It's the unit's first combat deployment since the Vietnam War.

The 307th's Bravo Company and Headquarters, Headquarters Company, are due to be recognized tomorrow during a deployment ceremony at Helemano Military Reservation in Wahiawa.

The battalion is headquartered at Fort Shafter on Oahu.

It received notice about the deployment just three months ago.