Scott Broadbent, Maui Weekly

POSTED: June 24, 2010

One of life’s most fundamental needs, clean water, may soon be in short supply on Maui. And the way we dispose of our wastewater may be causing irreparable harm to our environment.

At the June 15 meeting of the Kihei Community Association (KCA), representatives of three environmental groups explained how our water is under assault from the land and the sea. And they sounded an alarm that critical issues need to be addressed now to avoid a future crisis.

Mike Moran, a KCA board member and co-founder of “Pump Don’t Dump,” Maui Tomorrow Executive Director Irene Bowie and Water Quality Consultant and Southwest Maui Watershed Planning Group member Robin Knox painted a grim picture of the current situation related to our water quality and coastal pollution, but offered ideas and potential solutions to deal with the issues.

Moran discussed the effects of allowing tour and charter boats to pump sewage into the ocean. “There are a myriad of reasons for the deterioration of our reefs and beaches,” he said, “including pesticide and insecticide runoff, injection wells and poor construction practices.” But, a major factor, he said, is that charter boats are continuing to dump untreated sewage or sewage treated with formaldehyde and bleach into the ocean, fouling our beaches in South Maui.

Moran said the Pump Don’t Dump group has had “moderate success” in drawing attention to the issue. Through their efforts, boats operating out of Ma‘alaea Harbor may pump sewage into pumper trucks for land-based disposal. The group advocates fixed or mobile disposal methods at all harbors and ramps with required usage by all boat operators.

Bowie explained how current practices, most notably disposing of treated sewage into injection wells, harms the reefs and environment, wastes water, threatens our health and harms our economy. She said the sewage, injected 200 to 300 feet underground at 15 wells on Maui, including three in Kihei, eventually makes its way into the ocean.

“Thirteen million gallons of treated effluent is pumped into the ground every day,” she said.

She urged attendees to support the “Don’t Inject, Redirect (DIRE)” Coalition, which is working to limit the use of injection wells while promoting recycling of wastewater, particularly while we are facing drought conditions, water rights issues and water shortages.

Bowie said that effluents flowing into the ocean promote the growth of algae, which chokes a basic economic engine of our tourism industry—our reefs. Algae, bacteria and chemicals used in sewage treatment are also making us sick, she said, citing an increase in staph infections and other waterborne illnesses, which puts Maui well above the national average in hospitalizations.

DIRE advocates the establishment of a series of high-quality effluent (R1) lines to utilize recycled, treated and reclaimed water for purposes such as irrigation. Although she acknowledges the cost for such a system would be high, she said we can’t continue “wasting million of gallons of water a day while things are bone dry.” In addition, she said, “It may actually be less expensive to develop recycling water systems than to develop new water sources.”

Knox gave an overview of watersheds, which she likened to the ancient Hawaiian land division system of ahupua‘a, which manages resources from the mountain to the sea.  She discussed the federal Clean Water Act which, she said “has a simple goal: fishable, swimmable water.”

Knox explained the distinction between “point and non-point” pollution sources. Point sources, she said, are more easily monitored. “These include pipes or wells where actual samples may be taken,” she said. Non-point sources are more difficult to measure. These include runoff from agriculture, construction sites and golf courses and contamination from cesspools and septic systems. Knox concurred that the use of injection wells is very problematic.

The three presenters fielded questions from the attendees. Most centered around obtaining funds to deal with the issues, raising community awareness and involvement and enlisting county and state elected officials in the effort.

“Just throwing up our hands and saying it costs too much doesn’t make sense,” said Bowie. Issues related to our water “have to be part of the budget. We have to demand our elected officials take care of this.”

“The mayor has said the issue is not a matter of money, but a matter of priority,” added Knox. Panel members said federal grants may be available and that use fees should be revisited. Bowie also suggested enlisting the visitor industry, which has a vested interest in making sure our beaches are safe and clean.

A builder complained that while his current development project has committed to utilizing reclaimed water, “the Department of Health has been difficult to work with and the process has been expensive and time-consuming.” He suggested simplifying the county processes related to utilizing recycled water.

All three presenters urged residents to get involved and said the current situation is unsustainable. Moran reminded attendees that it is an election year and the candidates are listening. “Write letters and make phone calls,” he said. “Tell them we want clean water!”

“We need to take a more holistic approach,” concluded Bowie. “Perhaps we should have a water marshal. Any way you look at it, we need a big change.” When it comes to clean water, she said, “We must rethink what we have been doing.”

(Left to right) Mike Moran, Robin Knox and Irene Bowie addressed questions related to water quality and usage on Maui at the June 15 K?hei Community Association meeting

Maui Tomorrow Executive Director Irene Bowie explained how current practices, most notably disposing of treated sewage into injection wells, harms the reefs and environment, wastes water, threatens our health and harms our economy. Shown in the photo above, a healthy reef (left) contrasts with a reef choked with algae and chemicals.

Aloha County Council Member,

Thank you for your continued efforts to seek community input as you work through Maui’s current fiscal challenges in determining our 2010 budget priorities. We appreciate your continued willingness to work with the Kihei Community Association to ensure that funds allocated to our district are those of ultimate priority to our community. Further, as a community association, we plan on working with you to ensure that even in these difficult times, we can come together and stretch county funds with volunteer labor and private donations to move Kihei closer towards our shared vision of a safe, clean, and sustainable community.

Included in this letter is a list of budget priorities that were put forth by both our membership and Board of Directors. We wanted to make you aware of them and we ask you to strongly consider these priorities when considering the County’s budget for 2010. A copy of these priorities will be posted to our website and is open to continued review and discussion at www.gokihei.org.

Best Regards,

Jon Miller

President

Kihei Community Association

Environmental Conservation Efforts:

• Continue funding of temporary Maalaea Pump program

• Continue construction of distribution infrastructure for R1 recycled water

• Funding for community garden project in South Maui

Transportation Infrastructure

• Continuing construction of N/S Collector Road and work with KCA to encourage this as a safe route to school for Kihei students

• Work with state on “Kihei Bypass” – a road parallel to the Pi’ilani Highway

• Fund full pedestrian & bicycling transportation plan that will provide a long term plan to construct safe and inviting avenues to move pedestrian traffic

• Develop comprehensive Safe Routes To School Plan so that our children have effective transportation to their learning place.

• Construct roundabout at Liloa and Pi’ikea

Park Improvement Programs:

• Construct Kama’ole Point Pavilion per plans of the Department of Parks and Recreation

• Complete by end of 2009 the construct of the Kalama Park Pedestrian Pathway

• Stay on track to construct South Maui Regional Park Phase 1 this year

• Rebuilding and renovating existing bathroom facilities in South Maui parks, and continue to fund park improvements recommendations contained in the Park Standards Report submitted by Chris Hart and Partners.

Education:

• Continue support for the Kihei Youth Center and fund proposed lease improvements to KYC facility this year

• Create free student bus program so that any student with a valid ID will be able to ride the bus for free

• Through whatever means possible, encourage the State to construct a new High School in Kihei

    The KCA is asking individuals in the community to contact appropriate senators and reps via email as the bills move through the required committees via as KCA supports them via communication with appropriate officials. Of course SB 378 is the one our guest Darrel Tanaka explained at this month’s community meeting. (There may be a companion bill in the House offered later). The other two are for the same issue KCA supported last year, reducing the amount of “aquarium fish” vacuumed from our waters for worldwide shipping. By the end of last session the original bill was so weakened by aquarium business interests, mostly outside of Hawaii, it became merely a rule modification for DLNR, so we’re trying again.

    As we were preparing this, we received word that HB 191 is already schedule for a hearing at Water, Land & Ocean Resources Committee (WLO) on Monday morning, February 2, at 9 a.m. in Room 325 at the State Capitol.

Please go to http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/emailtestimony/ , enter hb191, click GET LATEST HEARING, enter your information and click support. This will be public information, so only enter required information unless you want your address and phone number shown. Comments are optional.

Mahalo

Coral Reefs

After consuming numerous Round Table Pizzas generously donated for the meeting, well over 100 concerned citizens settled in as board member Laura Marzke started off with community announcements and introduction of our honored guests, Kuhea Paracuelles, Liz Foote, and Russell Sparks to make presentations concerning our deteriorating coral reef systems

As a bonus, Russell also invited Brian Barsky for U of H who is working with both the state and county on removing excess algae in a trial project in waters off Waipuilani Park.

The next community meeting set for August 19 concerns the South Maui Coastal Heritage Trail. Please plan to be there and remember to bring canned food donations for the Maui Food Bank.

Following brief presentations by Russell, Liz, and Brian, Kuhea offered a power point on the International Year of the Reef, and then educated on the topic, the listeners divided into four discussion groups to conclude what actions KCA should pursue to help rectify the problem, presenting their findings to conclude the meeting.

Joseph W. Bean

The KCA’s meeting on the South Maui environment covered many interrelated issues, including a new subdivision and an Environmental Resource Center.

Kihei Community Association President David Frazier gave about 75 South Maui residents a recap of the testimony he delivered to the county council’s budget committee on March 28 and April 12.

What Frazier, speaking on behalf of the KCA, has asked for totals about $6 million in new, renewed or reinstated appropriations in the flscal year 2007 county budget. Items include park improvements and maintenance, a sidewalk for the heavily used and currently dangerous stretch of South Kihei road between Kama‘ole III and Keawakapu, the construction of a permanent roundabout at Liloa and Pi‘ikea, work on the area’s drainage systems to avoid fiooding in wet weather and much more. He also distributed copies of his April 12 testimony. The council will flnalize the budget and return it to the mayor for flnal approval on May 31.

Michael Moran announced that the Pump Don’t Dump group will have another demonstration to urge tour boat operators to pump onboard toilets—or to shame them into doing the right thing. Demonstrators (with signs) are to meet at the Keawakapu (north) parking lot at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 29. The meeting at the Kihei Community Center on Tuesday, April 18, was designated as the KCA’s meeting on the environment. However, when a developer has a project ready for public comment, the organization makes time to hear the plan at the next community meeting. Rick Armour, Mitch Hirano and Jim Neise showed site maps of a 12-lot development to be built mauka of the Island Surf building with a “very small” frontage on Auhana Street. The two-story, market-price units, according to Hirano, is a “project intended to be developed for local residents.” The utilities for the property will be underground, and the one burial site found there will be isolated as a set-aside space not included in any of the lots. The plan is currently seeking Special Management Area approval and, very importantly, the developers are joining the coqui frog eradication effort since their land is heavily infested.

The KCA planning and development committee seemed pleased with the presentation and the crowd did too. County of Maui Environmental Director Rob Parsons showed slides of the wetlands cleanup in the area immediately south of St. Theresa’s Church where the wetland crosses (under) South Kihei Road. The importance of clearing the water hyacinth, water lettuce and other introduced species, Parsons explained, is heightened by the fact that “there are about a dozen native species there, too.” As we have learned so often on Maui, our native plants are not good competitors for space or resources against introduced/invasive species.

The water hyacinth makai of South Kihei Road have been cleared and re-cleared many times, but mauka of the road, water lettuce is the problem. “Someone probably just threw an ornamental in there,” Parsons said. Now, between cleanings, the water is solidly covered with the invasive plants. There are also mangroves and grasses that have to be removed to allow the wetland to return to its natural state, and funding is currently being arranged for major cleanup in the area.

Work will be able to move more rapidly and in a more environmentally sound way when the composting site near the South Maui water treatment plant is reopened—sometime soon.

Representatives of the Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC) spoke next. Joylynn Oliveira urged people to report invasive species of plants and animals by calling 573-MISC (6472). She also explained that MISC is happy to help with the control and removal of invasive species on private property, but said “we need permission.” That, of course, could be a hurdle if John Doe is reporting an invasive growth on Jane Roe’s property. Adam Radford put the coqui frog issue on Maui in perspective by pointing out that the noisy frogs have populated over 7,000 acres on the Big Island, while Maui’s core population covers only 156 acres. Of course, for a citizen living on or near one of those few acres, the problem is the same. Still, it suggests that current efforts possibly can succeed in the battle to free Maui of the coqui frog.

Parsons then explained his idea for converting the 2,250 square foot Montana Beach home on 1.5 acres near Baldwin Beach (now owned by the county) into an Environmental Resource Center (ERC). The plan is to have the building provide both offlce homes for environmental groups and exhibit space about Maui’s environment. The idea is controversial, of course, but Parsons believes it is more appropriate to make good public use of the property than to allow it to deteriorate or to destroy it. He wants the property “to provide a place for residents and visitors to learn about current environmental issues… and volunteer and job opportunities in conservation organizations.”

Finally, Cheryl King of the Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund, whose special project has long been the Hawksbill Recovery Program, spoke eloquently of the profound danger faced by Maui’s (and Hawai‘i’s) sea turtles. “No beaches, no turtles,” was King’s theme. If we don’t preserve beaches that are acceptable nesting places for sea turtles, the turtles are doomed to extinction. Some people, she recognized, might be thinking the French Frigate Shoals; where a great many sea turtles nest, should somehow be enough, allowing us to light and use our beaches as we choose. That, said King, “is putting all the eggs in one basket.” She also pointed out that the shoals are—well, shoals, meaning they are former islands now sinking into the sea.

King said there are hawksbill turtles nesting in South Maui. “They like it here for some reason. These are local turtles. They are not going to go to California, and… they’re a really endangered species. There may be as many as 50 to 70 nesting females in all of Hawai‘i.”

Turtle-safe beaches, King explained, are dark, quiet (free of dogs, cars and people), safely away from roads. They have accessible dunes and only the native vegetation with which the turtles are equipped to contend. She speciflcally described Kawililipoa Beach in Kihei as “our jewel” among potentially salvageable, truly turtle-friendly beaches. “Three turtles have used this beach [for nesting], and all have been very successful.”

King is quite sure it is not too late to save the honu, green sea turtle, and holds onto the hope that the ‘ea, the hawksbill, can also be saved, but only if we act now and are willing, as she put it, “to think long-term.”

To volunteer to help King with turtle nests or with the effort to create and maintain turtle-safe beaches, reach her by e-mail at shezking@yahoo.com.