HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Hawaiʻi Department of Health issued a Notice of Violation and Order to Hawaii American Water for discharging liquid waste past the legal amount from the East Honolulu Wastewater Treatment Plant into the Pacific Ocean.

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Ammonia nitrogen discharged from the facility exceeded the limits outlined by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System between August 2022 and April 2024 on 14 separate occasions.

“Ammonia is derived from the breakdown of proteins and amino acids in wastewater. High concentrations of ammonia can have toxic effects on aquatic organisms and contributes to excess nutrients in the water,” said Kathleen Ho, deputy director for the Environmental Health Administration. “As such, the discharge of ammonia above allowable limits into state waters is unacceptable.”

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The facility also failed to submit the required written noncompliance reports on two occasions.

Hawaii American Water will be required to pay a penalty of $47,750 and implement corrective actions to prevent future occurrences.

All people in the state, including business owners, government agencies and visitors must comply with Hawaiʻi’s environmental protection laws. Failure to comply with water pollution laws may lead to penalties of up to $60,000 per day, per violation.

The DOH Clean Water Branch protect public health and the environment by prohibiting discharges that impair water quality, which keeps the islands’ waters fishable and swimmable.

Hawaii American Water provided the following statement:

“Our Hawaii American Water team is dedicated to providing excellent wastewater service that meets all applicable environmental standards.  We are currently reviewing the notice and conducting an analysis of the self-reported exceedances of standards.  Based on the analysis, we will work with the Hawaii Department of Health and take appropriate actions related to our treatment plant processes and operations reporting protocols to help ensure compliance.”

To view the violation notice, visit the Clean Water Branch’s website.

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