City, Waste Management of Hawaii to pay $425K in settlement with EPA

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -The city and Waste Management of Hawaii will pay $425,000 as a part of a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA said that storms in December 2010 and January 2011 overwhelmed temporary pipes at the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill.

Flooding at the site sent water contaminated with trash into the ocean.

The EPA says following that, medical waste washed up onto nearby beaches for weeks following.

As part of the agreement, the landfill will have to upgrade the stormwater drainage pipeline as well as conduct a number of facility upgrades.

“We believe the actions prescribed are both reasonable and doable,” said Lori Kahikina, director of the Department of Environmental Services. “Specifically, the stormwater discharge samples collected pursuant to the consent decree should provide valuable data for the development of the landfill’s individual stormwater permit.”

The money from the settlement will be used to monitor and restore coral reefs off Leeward Oahu.

“Today’s action requires the City and County of Honolulu and Waste Management to improve their stormwater drainage, controls, and monitoring program at Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “Managing stormwater runoff is critical to protecting residents’ health and Oahu’s coastal waters.”