by Steve Holmes
Amy Miller, Director of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 has been in discussions with Hawaiʻi County Department of Environmental Management Director Ramzi Mansour and Mayor Mitch Roth. Mansour and Roth acknowledged island-wide deficiencies and non-compliance with legal requirements.
The other bit of good news is that the EPA gave Congressman Kai Kahele an update after he toured the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant as well as others on the Hāmākua Coast. His graphic description of county facilities to the EPA was recounted in Civil Beat: “The East Hawaiʻi wastewater facility is potentially the worst wastewater facility in the nation. It’s very, very bad and potentially on the brink of a major catastrophe and I’m not exaggerating.” Kahele promised to pursue federal funding.