#EPA

The detection of PFAS at the Kulaʻimano Well A was confirmed by samples collected on Aug. 18 and Sept. 23. The Hawai‘i County’s Department of Water Supply formally notified the Hawaiʻi Department of Health of the initial detection of PFAS via email on Oct. 8.

Kēōkea Beach Park in North Hawaiʻi has reopened following confirmation from the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health that water quality meets safety standards after initial tests showed elevated bacteria levels.

The selected applicant from the Request for Proposals process will oversee the Hilo Reusable Foodware Program, which will be a community-scale system.

Anyone can learn how to identify and fix common household water leaks to the best of their ability and conserve water at home with help of Department of Water Supply during public outreach events during week of March 17-21.

The treatment plant in Keaukaha, which has operated since 1996 without any renovations or upgrades, is slated for a major fedrally mandated rehabilitation project. Hawaiʻi County awarded a $337 million contract to Honolulu-based Nan Inc. for the project.

Upgrades to the plant, which became operational in 1996, are part of an agreement the county entered into with the U.S. Environmental Protective Agency in April to address pollution discharge that was not meeting standards of the federal Clean Water Act.

State reports water sample retesting results of Big Island waterway show enterococci levels no longer exceed the acceptable threshold level.

Inspections will start in Waimea, followed by Puakō, nearby resort areas, Kawaihae, Makapala, Hāwī, Hala‘ula and Niuli‘i

Inspections will begin in Kea‘au, followed by Kurtistown, Mountain View, Pāhoa, Nānāwale Estates and Kalapana.

Dengue virus is spread from infected person to mosquito to person. While Hawai‘i is home to the type of mosquitoes that can carry dengue, the disease is not established here in the state, and cases are currently only seen in travelers.

Inspections will occur from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, excluding holidays, and will start in Pāpaʻikou, followed by Pepe‘ekeo, Honomū, Hakalau and Ninole.

The inspections – required to comply with EPA rule revisions – will begin March 18 and continue through October.

Hawai‘i County and the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program were recently awarded grants through programs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to undertake the project.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday it has awarded $2.2 million in grants to Hawaiʻi for a recycling project in Hilo and a study of waste management across several islands.

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, a two-phase initiative, provides grant funding to states, local governments, tribes, and territories to develop and implement plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution.

Under the settlement, 7-Eleven Hawai‘i will pay a $145,000 penalty, conduct a self-audit of the 58 locations it operates in Hawai‘i, and work with the EPA to close all remaining large capacity cesspools.

For operating an illegal large capacity cesspool, the owners of Extra Space Storage Facility in Kailua-Kona agreed to pay a $130,000 penalty in a settlement announced Wednesday with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Each grant recipient can receive up to $20,000 in reimbursements for a cesspool conversion or cost of connecting to a sewage system in the State of Hawaiʻi.

An estimated 700 gallons of diesel fuel spilled at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex located at the summit of Haleakalā. Authorities pointed toward a mechanical issue in which a diesel fuel pump for an onsite backup generator failed to shut off on Sunday night. The spill was identified on Monday morning.

Large capacity cesspools, which service 20 or more people per day, have been banned in the United States since 2005.