FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                 October 16, 2006

 KAILUA WASTEWATER BYPASS REPORTED

            Yesterday’s islandwide electrical blackout caused an estimated 52,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater at the Kailua Wastewater Treatment Plant to bypass one of the secondary treatment steps.

            The bypass occurred over 15 minutes, between 4:45 and 5 p.m., when plant operators were testing management of influent flow around the plant’s biotower, before a stand-by generator came on-line.

            The wastewater had already received what’s known as primary treatment.

            The bypass was in addition to spills of partially treated wastewater at the Wahiawa Treatment Plant and the Sand Island Treatment Plant that were reported yesterday.

The state Department of Health has been notified.

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CONTACT:

Ross Tanimoto, Environmental Services Monitoring and Compliance Branch, 692-5371

Mark Matsunaga, 527-5767