Officials: Hilo’s sewage plant in danger of failure that could trigger environmental disaster

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Officials at Hilo’s Wastewater Treatment Plant warn the facility is in danger of complete failure, saying if the plant goes down it could trigger an environmental disaster.

Hawaii County says it urgently needs $100 million to replace the facility.

“The facility is old,” said Jason Imamura, the plant’s operations supervisor. “You never know what’s going to happen.”

Imamura led HNN on a tour recently, pointing out all of the problems along the way.

“All the motors (on the valve actuators) are shot,” he said. “If this continues to corrode. This (grit tank) wall might cave in.”

Imamura says a lot of what people are flushing down the toilet is making problems worse.

“You have feminine products. You have flushable wipes,” he said.

There are also other items like condoms, masks, all kinds of trash and even bed sheets.

“It gets in our pumps,” said Imamura. “Fouls up other equipment.”

Some machinery is completely inoperable. Much of what does work is antiquated and constantly breaking. “A lot of the parts are obsolete already,” he said.

The equipment is so dilapidated a survey done last year by an independent environmental engineering agency found 95% of it either needed to be replaced or had significant defects.

“I think it could happen anytime. A worst-case scenario,” Imamura said.

If the plant were to fail, officials say 3 million gallons of sewage a day would spill into the ocean less than a mile offshore through a pipe in Keaukaha.

Imamura says for more than a decade problems were repeatedly reported to the county.

“It’s something that didn’t happen overnight,” he said.

“Money was pretty much always the issue. We have put together a priority list for things that need to be fixed and replaced here and we were told to re-prioritize your priority list. Many times.”

Hawaii Island Mayor Mitch Roth also accompanied HNN on the tour.

“The other day we had a sewage spill,” he said.

The cause: an electrical short in one of the pumps. In just four minutes, 8,600 gallons of partially treated sewage was released into the ocean.

“We have a situation here where we have to act,” Roth said.

HNN asked why the facility was allowed to get to its current condition. Roth responded, “I am not sure. But this administration, we’re taking ownership.”

State Sen. Laura Acasio says the county doesn’t have the $100 million needed to replace the plant.

“This is going to take an effort from county, state and federal,” she said.

Meantime, the crew at Hilo Wastewater Treatment is trying to keep the facility running, desperately working to prevent anymore spills.

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