FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                August 20, 2005

Release No. ENV-27

TREE ROOTS CAUSE MANOA SEWAGE SPILL

Crews from the City Department of Environmental Services responded to a spill of raw sewage in Manoa today.

The spill was reported on the Mid-Pacific Institute campus about 10:50 a.m. by a school employee who saw sewage coming of a manhole cover.  City crews responded at 11:16 and discovered sewage backing up from a 12-inch main on the campus.

They found the main clogged by tree roots and cleared the obstruction by 12:41 p.m., said Lori Kahikina-Moniz, assistant chief of the Collection System Maintenance Division of the Department of Environmental Services.

An estimated 4,750 gallons of untreated wastewater is believed to have spilled. Most of it ran into a drainage culvert that leads to Manoa Stream.

City crews are posting warning signs along the drainage culvert, Manoa Stream, the Ala Wai Canal and the Ala Wai Yacht Basin.

Water samples are being taken and the state Health Department has been notified. The public is advised to avoid affected areas.

Kahikina-Moniz said City crews will return tomorrow to ensure the main is completely free of obstructions.

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Contact:

Lori Kahikina-Moniz, assistant chief, Division of Collection System Maintenance, City Department of Environmental Services, 527-6692