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Spring 1974

Summer 1974

Environmental News (Jackie Parnell)
Hawaii's Land Use Boundary Review
Which Is What? Environmental Council / Quality Commission
What's an EIS?
How's the Quality of Your Air?
Hawaii Receives Coastal Zone Planning Funds
Do You Need a Water Permit ? !!! ###
FRESH - Facilities Requirements Evaluation, State of Hawaii
What Is the League Doing?
Kauai LWV Take a Bow

Do You Need a Water Permit ? !!! ###

Federal Water Regulations require all commercial or industrial waste dischargers to file an application for a permit to discharge effluents, This is known as the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). The State Dept. of Health working with the Environmental Protection Agency are issuing permits before the Dec. 31,1974 deadline. Permits state the amount and quality of discharge, deadline dates for improvement. Citizens can comment or object to applications (which are published in the local newspapers) and if warranted, public hearings may be held. Dischargers are required to monitor their own system, but citizens can monitor any individual permit for compliance with requirements and bring suit for violations,

One example of a permit ending is Yacht Harbor Towers -- a 456 unit condominium seeking approval to discharge heated water from 2 air-conditioners - 5.2 million gallons per day, 86 degrees, 1100 lbs suspended solids, 440 lbs oil and grease into Ala Wai Canal.

About 95% of the population on the Big Island is served by cesspools and the need to create a better system is recognized by the count6y -- especially for shoreline and urbanized areas. There is a possibility of ground water pollution and cesspool seepage into coastal waters.

Dramatic improvement - esthetically and biologically has occurred in the water around Kauai. Over many decades coastal waters became muddied and burdened with and trash and sugar mill discharges. Effective enforcement began in 1969 with cane water recycled bringing back water clarity and reversing marine biological effects.

Kauai still has water quality problems due to high runoff from streams and rivers, and seepage and cesspools.

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