Council approves EPA deadline extensions for wastewater projects as residents press PFAS concerns

The Hawaii County Council on July 8 approved amendments allowing the mayor to sign extended administrative orders with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for several wastewater rehabilitation projects, while residents pressed officials on whether plants will address persistent industrial chemicals.

Council member Jen Kaguata moved to approve Resolution 592, which authorizes a five-year extension for work at the Kula‘emanu wastewater-plant project and a three-year extension for Papayiko; the motion passed after discussion and a roll-call vote (motion carried, 9 ayes). A separate resolution (593) authorizing Safe Drinking Water Act extensions for closure of large-capacity cesspools in Pahala and Na‘alehu also passed (9 ayes).

During debate Sherry Grafor, a Kona testifier, asked whether rehabbed plants will filter PFAS and pharmaceuticals and whether upgrades being proposed would lock the county into older, obsolete technologies. Dan Gervin, director of the Department of Environmental Management, said the county’s immediate priority is getting plants to operate correctly and safely, and acknowledged his department’s limited capacity to address persistent chemicals at present. "The technology that is going to be needed to address persistent chemicals in our wastewater is the future," Gervin said. "It is not in the current plan that we have for our plants." He added that changes are likely to arise through future permitting and that the department is already using repair budgets to address immediate issues.

Council members asked whether the designs for the projects are final and whether modifications can be made to accommodate future regulatory changes. Gervin said plant designs are set for the four sites covered by the resolutions but that additional end-of-line processes (treatment steps) could be added later if regulations require them.

Kanyeli E. Kleinfelder and other council members pressed the administration about potential fiscal implications and the need to align capital schedules with water-resource planning. Gervin said funding is not currently in place to address more persistent contaminants but that the department will continue in-house repairs and seek funding for technology upgrades when required.

What happens next: The council approved the extensions, which allow more time for design and construction amid complex permitting conversations; the administration and DEM will continue to pursue repairs and assess regulatory timelines for more advanced treatment requirements.

Sources: Council debate and roll-call votes; public testimony from Sherry Grafor; statements by Dan Gervin, Director of DEM.