H a w a i i - G r o u n d - W a t e r: Honolulu infrastructure failing

Showing posts with label Honolulu infrastructure failing. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Honolulu Water Main Breaks Average One A Day

http://www.kitv.com/news/hawaii/Pearl-City-watermain-break-latest-in-watermain-woes/-/8905354/20770332/-/9cti1p/-/index.html

KITV News

The water main break in Pearl City was the latest in a series of water main breaks. Just last month a 16-inch main burst in McCully, flooding the streets with nearly a quarter million gallons of water-shutting down entire neighborhoods.

In the first four months of this year, there have been at least 102 water main breaks, an average of one every day.

Honolulu Cave Adventure: Punynari Explores Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Honolulu-Cave-Adventure.html

Fantastic Must See Oahu Karst Cave Videos And Photos

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/fantastic-must-see-oahu-karst-cave.html

Bio Diversity: The Moiliili Karst Formation

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Caving.html

Mōʻiliʻili Karst Water Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Massive-Honolulu-Cavein.html

Hiking Hawaii: Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Spooky-Oahu-Karst-Cave.html

Video and Links: Mo'ili'ili Underground Caverns Video

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Underground-Cave-Video.html

Karst Cave Hiking Adventure: Moili'ili Karst Exploration

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Cave-Adventure.html

Thursday, July 25, 2013

West Oahu Sewage Spill Empties Ko Olina Best Hotel Beaches

By Star-Advertiser staff

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/201646451.html?id=201646451

The city Department of Environmental Services said more than 1,000 gallons of raw and untreated wastewater was discharged during a nearly three-hour period Thursday night into Paradise Cove at Ko Olina resort because of a 16-inch main break.

Warning signs were posted between Paradise Cove to Honu Lagoon.

The public is advised to remain out of these waters until warning signs have been removed and repairs have been completed.

Health officials are sampling the water in the area this morning.

Lagoons 1 and 2 of the resort are closed but two other lagoons remain open and accessible to hotel guests and the general public, said Ko Olina spokeswoman Sweetie Nelson.

The break was reported at 9:10 p.m. at the City’s West Beach No. 1 Wastewater Pump Station at 2750 Aliinui Dr. It was stopped two hours later. The main feeds the storm drain that empties near the Ko Olina Resort.

Because of the repairs being done there, exit out of the lagoon is being diverted to its “back gate” on Koio Road until further notice, Nelson said. Entry into Ko Olina from its main gate on Aliinui Drive is being allowed through one of two lanes, she said.

Honolulu Cave Adventure: Punynari Explores Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Honolulu-Cave-Adventure.html

Fantastic Must See Oahu Karst Cave Videos And Photos

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/fantastic-must-see-oahu-karst-cave.html

Bio Diversity: The Moiliili Karst Formation

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Caving.html

Mōʻiliʻili Karst Water Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Massive-Honolulu-Cavein.html

Hiking Hawaii: Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Spooky-Oahu-Karst-Cave.html

Video and Links: Mo'ili'ili Underground Caverns Video

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Underground-Cave-Video.html

Karst Cave Hiking Adventure: Moili'ili Karst Exploration

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Cave-Adventure.html

Kailua Sewer Plant Cited, Fined Again

Hawaii News Now

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=13129870

KAILUA (HawaiiNewsNow) - There are more problems for Honolulu's sewers, problems state investigators say could have been avoided.

The city has been hit with a hefty fine for breaking health rules and willfully sending employees into a dangerous space even when managers knew better.

The Kailua Wastewater Treatment Plant has been cited three times already this year to go along with other fines in years past and the dollar amount goes up with each fine.

It's no secret, there is plenty of gas at sewer treatment plant and those gases can be dangerous which is why the city has been cited for sending two employees into confined space with explosive gas and not enough oxygen.

"The ultimate result can be the employee being seriously injured or death," said Tin Shing Chao, Occupational Health Branch Manager, Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

He's investigated the Kailua treatment plant which has been fined various times in the past, yet the state says managers continue to send employees down despite posted danger signs.

"That management knew or should have known about the potential hazards for employees and still sent employees into the situation," said Ryan Markham, Hawaii Occupational Safety & Health Division Operations Manager.

The complaint was originally brought up by an employee who blew the whistle. The state investigated and interviewed managers who admitted fault.

"One of the managers that sent them (employees) in, I talked with him and he actually admitted that he did wrong," said Chao.

The city's violations have gone from serious, to repeated serious now to willful because it continues to violate the same rules.

"Anytime there's a willful violation we consider that very serious and that's why the penalties are high," said Markham.

The two recent fines total of $140,000 and all employees must be retrained on safety.

"We are aware of the fines. We believe they are excessive and we will be consulting with HIOSH (Hawaii Occupational Safety & Health Division)," said Tim Steinberger, City of Honolulu Environmental Services Director, in a written statement.

Attorneys for the city and state are scheduled to meet on Monday to discuss a possible settlement and resolution.

Honolulu Cave Adventure: Punynari Explores Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Honolulu-Cave-Adventure.html

Fantastic Must See Oahu Karst Cave Videos And Photos

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/fantastic-must-see-oahu-karst-cave.html

Bio Diversity: The Moiliili Karst Formation

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Caving.html

Mōʻiliʻili Karst Water Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Massive-Honolulu-Cavein.html

Hiking Hawaii: Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Spooky-Oahu-Karst-Cave.html

Video and Links: Mo'ili'ili Underground Caverns Video

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Underground-Cave-Video.html

Karst Cave Hiking Adventure: Moili'ili Karst Exploration

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Cave-Adventure.html

Honolulu: Oahu Infrastructure Failing

Honolulu: Oahu Infrastructure Failing

BY MALIA ZIMMERMAN

The island of Oahu, where an estimated 905,000 people or the vast majority of Hawaii’s population live, had 364 water main breaks per year between 2005 and 2009 – or an average of one break per day.

Board of Water Supply spokesperson Moani Wright-Van Alst says the city agency is unsure how many gallons of water are lost to water main breaks a year, or how that compares with overall usage because that depends “on the size of the break, the size of the pipe (4" versus a transmission main that is 24 inches or 30 inches), the duration of the break, and the pressure of the system.”

The repair process is not easy or quick: “Before excavation can begin, the BWS must contact other utilities to mark their lines so that the BWS doesn’t inadvertently strike other utilities lines in the excavation process. Crews also need to clear the debris in the working area.

Oahu’s sewage system, which burst in 2006 sending more than 50 million gallons of sewage into the streets, Ala Wai canal and waters fronting Waikiki and Ala Moana, still has regular breaks.

The Sierra Club, which sued the city over its lack of maintenance, says in a recent oped: “After ignoring warnings that the Beach Walk sewer main was in “extremely critical” condition, then Mayor Mufi Hannemann oversaw the worst water pollution episode in Honolulu’s history: 50 million gallons of raw sewage into the Ala Wai and Waikiki waters, shutting down Waikiki beaches and earning international embarrassment.

Despite the debacle, Hannemann continued to fight the Environmental Protection Agency and community groups in court, paying a mainland attorney millions until being forced to settle the lawsuit and upgrade facilities to 21st-Century standards.

Along those lines, Channel 2 News reports that the city’s attitude on sewage related issues has not improved: “For the second time in three weeks the state has fined the city $140,000 for "willfully violating" state law at one of its wastewater treatment facilities. That's more than a quarter million dollars in fines in less than a month.”

The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered the city to upgrade and repair Oahu’s sewage system – and that will cost ratepayers more than $7 billion

Kobayashi is concerned about the City's management of sewers. She says there is a building moratorium in Moiliili because the sewage system is at capacity. "No one is doing anything about it."

She is also says she is outraged that the City fought the Environmental Protection Agency, spending $10 million on legal fees for mainland law firms.

The city’s landfill in Maili is another infrastructure issue that the city has botched, according to the Sierra Club. The organization criticizes the current administration for its management: Hannemann fought island wide curbside recycling for our island–he was forced to implement the program by law enacted by voters in 2006.

Hannemann cancelled the curbside recycling program when he started his term and then proceeded to oppose efforts to create a program at the City Council, the State Legislature, and in City Charter.

He reversed his promise to close Waimanalo Gulch landfill (which was penalized millions of dollars for violations), and botched the plan to ship opala off-island.

The city taxpayers need to invest $5.5 billion into repairs and maintenance for roads, watermain repairs and other infrastructure improvements and that is in addition to the $7 million for sewage repairs.

Kirk Caldwell, who is running for mayor, is Hannemann’s acting mayor. He says that Oahu taxpayers can afford over the next three decades to complete all of these sewage and infrastructure repairs and build a 20-mile, $5.5 billion rail system from Kapolei to Ala Moana Center.

Others opposed to the second most costly rail project per lane mile in the nation, estimate the rail will cost every family an estimated $11,000.

Honolulu Cave Adventure: Punynari Explores Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Honolulu-Cave-Adventure.html

Fantastic Must See Oahu Karst Cave Videos And Photos

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/fantastic-must-see-oahu-karst-cave.html

Bio Diversity: The Moiliili Karst Formation

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Caving.html

Mōʻiliʻili Karst Water Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Massive-Honolulu-Cavein.html

Hiking Hawaii: Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Spooky-Oahu-Karst-Cave.html

Video and Links: Mo'ili'ili Underground Caverns Video

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Underground-Cave-Video.html

Karst Cave Hiking Adventure: Moili'ili Karst Exploration

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Cave-Adventure.html

Honolulu 48 million gallons spill in 6-day sewer break

Officials urge people to remain clear of polluted ocean waters

By Diana Leone starbulletin.com

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.

Honolulu Cave Adventure: Punynari Explores Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Honolulu-Cave-Adventure.html

Fantastic Must See Oahu Karst Cave Videos And Photos

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/fantastic-must-see-oahu-karst-cave.html

Bio Diversity: The Moiliili Karst Formation

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Caving.html

Mōʻiliʻili Karst Water Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Massive-Honolulu-Cavein.html

Hiking Hawaii: Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Spooky-Oahu-Karst-Cave.html

Video and Links: Mo'ili'ili Underground Caverns Video

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Underground-Cave-Video.html

Karst Cave Hiking Adventure: Moili'ili Karst Exploration

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Cave-Adventure.html

Honolulu's Infrastructure Is Disintegrating

By Jay M. Fidell
Special to the Star-Bulletin

HOW LONG will the public be willing to suffer finger-pointing and excuses before it demands real solutions to real problems, such as deteriorating roads that ravage our vehicles and the sad state of affairs that led to the city's dumping of 48 million gallons of raw sewage into the center of Waikiki, the engine of our state's economy?

We are at a crossroads now, one at which the city must recognize its charter obligations to provide infrastructure and public safety.

Despite promises dating back to the 1970s, the city has done nothing to improve this infrastructure.

The city is steadily moving through the permitting process and toward accepting questionable reports and approving the project in a knee-jerk, same-old, accommodate-the- developer-at-any-cost fashion.

It gets worse. When residents' efforts -- including letters and petitions signed by some 1,100 people, 200 yard signs, and a dramatic meeting with the neighborhood board attended by more than 300 people and resulting in a spate of constructive recommendations -- failed to move the city, the administration provocatively suggested that the residents file a lawsuit if they wanted to get the information and access the city had denied to them.

The bottom line is that the infrastructure continues to deteriorate, effectively abandoned by the city, as so many other neighborhoods, notwithstanding the huge tax revenues the city is getting from high property taxes; the city is ignoring the requests of residents for information and involvement in processes that directly affect them and put them demonstrably at risk of life and limb.

And on top of all that, the city has adopted a policy that affirmatively punishes those who would complain about such treatment by denying consideration of any bill they would support.

Perhaps these public officials feel they are immune to the wishes and welfare of the community. Not so. Let's remember them well, and what they have done and failed to do at this critical and undeniably tragic intersection, and let's throw them out of office at first opportunity.