Honolulu 48 million gallons spill in 6-day sewer break
Officials
urge people to remain clear of polluted ocean waters
A total of
48 million gallons of raw sewage flowed into the Ala Wai Canal during the
six-day spill that is apparently the city's worst ever.
The amount
is more than double the estimate of more than 20 million gallons cited
Wednesday by city Environmental Services Director Eric Takamura.
"I want
to say again that the city had no other choice," after the
diversion of sewage from a 42-inch main into the Ala Wai Canal from last Friday
until repairs were completed Wednesday.
"Had we
not done that as our outlet, as our release, the negative impact from having
homes, businesses, restaurants and hotels with waste water backed up into those
areas would have been catastrophic and certainly devastating."
The mayor
urged residents and visitors to heed signs warning against swimming and fishing
in polluted waters. Those remain posted at Duke Kahanamoku and Fort DeRussy
beaches (fronting the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Hale Koa hotels) and along
the Ala Wai Canal and Ala Wai Boat Harbor -- now in Japanese as well as
English.
"The only comment we can make
is that the EPA is currently working with the state of Hawaii to obtain factual
information regarding the spill and that we will determine an appropriate
course of action," JoAnn Cola, an EPA clean-water compliance engineer,
said yesterday in an e-mail to the Star-Bulletin.
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