City finalizes Ko Olina spill report
News Release from City and County of Honolulu, December 19, 2016
KAPOLEI – The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Environmental Services this afternoon completed its West Beach Wastewater Pump Station (WWPS) No. 2 Force Main spill report and sent the finalized copy to the State of Hawaii Department of Health.
The report finds that on November 29, corrosion caused a break in the 20-inch force main leading from West Beach No. 2 WWPS and spilled an estimated 201,600 gallons of untreated sewage in an unimproved area outside the Ko Olina Golf Course owned by Oceanwide Resort Community HILLC. Crews were able to recover about 28,000 gallons of the spill and the remainder dissipated into the ground.
A review of data shows that the break occurred starting at approximately 10 a.m. on November 29. The spill was first reported to the city by an eye witness at 8 a.m. November 30 and crews were immediately dispatched. Crews fully contained the spill at 4:45 p.m. that same day. A third-party contractor started work late that afternoon to replace a 16-foot portion of the pipe, and the pipe was back in full operation by 3 p.m. the following day, December 1.
The spilled covered a little over one acre, which was disinfected and deodorized on three occasions – November 30, December 2 and 6.
Due to the fact that none of the spill reached any waterway and that the spill occurred inland on private property in a remote area, there was no threat to human health. Warning signs were placed surrounding the remote area where the spill occurred and public access was restricted. A press release was immediately issued (falsely) informing the public of the ("more than 1000 gallon") spill.
PDF: The full report is attached.
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