Navy and EPA working to remediate treatment plant.
The U.S. Navy has been fined $8.8 million for the release of partially treated or untreated sewage from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The Hawaii Department of Health reported that, between January 2020 and July 2022, the Navy discharged pollutants 766 times from the Hawaii Wastewater Treatment Plant. This exceeded the limit of what was permitted. In addition, another 212 counts of maintenance failures were discovered.
“The Navy’s failure to properly operate and maintain this wastewater treatment plant led to the pollution of state waters,” stated Kathleen Ho, Hawaii’s deputy director of environmental health. “We are taking action to protect our state’s water resources and to hold the Navy accountable to make critical repairs and prevent a potential catastrophic failure of the facility.”
Navy Region Hawaii has stated that the military branch and the Environmental Protection Agency are cooperating to address the treatment plant’s deficiencies. Two days after the fine was announced, another line break spilled another 1,000 gallons of wastewater into Pearl Harbor.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary Del Toro to seek the Lord’s direction as the Navy faces maintenance issues at Pearl Harbor.
- For Administrator Regan as he oversees the contribution of the EPA to the remediation of the wastewater situation that impacts Hawaii.
- For Hawaiian health officials as they endeavor to maintain public health and safety.
Sources: NavyTimes, CivilBeat.org
