Posted 4/30/2010
The Maui Planning Commission has upheld the decision of former Planning Director Jeff Hunt that the county did not need to obtain a major Special Management Area permit before drilling two new injection wells to receive treated effluent from the Kahului sewage treatment plant.
The appeal had been brought by the DIRE Coalition (Don’t Inject – Redirect). On April 27, the commission heard arguments from DIRE and the county before voting 5 to 1 to reject the appeal.
Irene Bowie, executive director of Maui Tomorrow and a member of the coalition, told Environment Hawai`i that the commission “missed the point entirely on why this project required an SMA major.” The group was “weighing options for the sake of our nearshore waters and health issues for the recreational users of Kahului Bay.” Those options, she noted, could include an appeal of the commission’s decision to Circuit Court.
Meanwhile, the Maui Department of Environmental Management has come under fire from the County Council over the issue of how it handles effluent. The department is asking for $2 million to refurbish injection wells. Council member Wayne Nishiki proposed making approval of the request contingent on the county carrying out the Environmental Protection Agency’s requirement for more thorough water quality testing at Lahaina. (For more information, see the articles in our May 2010 issue.)
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