Heavy Rains Send Wastewater into Pearl Harbor

An estimated 1.97 million gal of wastewater entered Pearl Harbor-bound storm drains yesterday, according to the U.S. Navy.

Heavy rains in Hawaii caused a power surge around 8 a.m., causing the regional wastewater collection system's main lift station to go offline. Wastewater spilled into nearby storm drains at shipyard dry dock No. 4 and at the intersection of South Avenue and Lake Erie when two manhole covers were displaced, said Navy officials.

Wastewater lift station No. 1, too, was offline, but Navy personnel addressed the problem immediately and had the system back online by 1:30 p.m. Crews cleaned and sanitized the area surrounding the two affected manholes.

Warning signs are posted along the Navy and Hickam Air Force Base waterfront from dry dock No. 4 to the Hickam Officer's Club. The impacted areas of the harbor, which are typically not used for swimming, are within the Department of Defense's secured fence line; human exposure to the tainted water body, therefore, is not anticipated.

Experts drew water samples yesterday near the two storm water drainage outlets that discharged the wastewater into the harbor. Additional collections are scheduled for this morning, and the sampling will continue until evidence of the wastewater spill is absent. The warning signs will remain posted until analyses indicate that the harbor's waters have returned to normal condition. Environmental impacts are expected to be minimal.

Source: The Honolulu Advertiser