Protect West Maui Coral Reefs and Community Water Resources

In a major victory for clean water and ocean advocates, a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2020 refused to allow a large loophole in the Clean Water Act and determined liability for pollution “when there is direct discharge from a point source into navigable waters or when there is the functional equivalent of a direct discharge.” This ruling has prompted the Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) to  propose a Clean Water Act permit, known as a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, to monitor and limit pollution from Maui County’s Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility. The state will hold a public hearing to receive comment on the draft permit at the Lahaina Civic Center on October 1, 2024. 

The Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility uses injection wells and groundwater to dispose of millions of gallons of treated wastewater daily. The wastewater emerges through submarine springs just offshore of Kahekili Beach Park, a popular recreational area. This permit will be the first of its kind in Hawai‘i to regulate ocean pollution through underground injection wells, which are used throughout the islands for wastewater disposal. 

Surfrider Foundation Maui and our coalition partners are urging the DOH to revised the draft  Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility permit to include: 

• Stronger pollution limits and treatment for nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) which are fueling algae growth that is smothering the Hā‘enanui reef offshore of Kahekili Beach Park. The Facility’s discharges currently  far exceeding state water quality standards.
• Limits on how much the Facility’s discharges can change the nearshore ocean water’s acidity (pH) which is naturally less acidic than the millions of gallons of fresh water that the Facility discharges each day.  This change in pH is destroying Hā‘enanui coral from the inside out.
• Requirements to quickly maximize reuse of the Facility’s highly treated wastewater to minimize (or eliminate) discharges to the ocean while benefiting the West Maui community by increasing supplies of fresh water for irrigation, fire-fighting, and other uses.
• Public access to reporting and other submissions required by the permit so the public can monitor permit compliance.

The Maui Chapter is working with coalition and community partners to urge people to show up and provide comment at the public hearing and to submit written comments to improve the permit and to improve water quality and protect the coral reefs in the nearshore waters of West Maui.  Learn more about this issue and how you can help take action on the chapter’s website.