The latest bulletin from the Surfrider Foundation Maui Chapter celebrates an important milestone for West Maui.

Maui County will stop its legal battles concerning operation of the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility (LWRF) and focus on maximizing beneficial reuse of recycled water and reducing or eliminating use of injection wells

Surfrider noted, “After over a decade, we can finally declare our Lahaina Injection Wells campaign a victory!”

Four citizen groups — Hawaii Wildlife Fund, Surfrider Foundation, West Maui Preservation Association and Sierra Club-Maui Group — sued over the county’s operation of the LWRF’s underground injection control (UIC) wells and the impact on nearshore waters in North Kaanapali.

In a case that advanced all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, the groups successfully argued the county needed a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, under the federal Clean Water Act, for its disposal of millions of gallons treated wastewater through wells into the groundwater below the Honokowai facility.

Surfrider explained that per a previous settlement agreement, Maui County will now divert and reuse the Lahaina facility wastewater by funding and implementing water reuse projects; pay $100,000 to the U.S. Treasury; make good faith efforts to secure an NPDES permit; and bring its facilities into legal compliance.

“This also sets a precedent for addressing other possible pollution from injection wells across the state,” Surfrider added.

According to the county, “In Lahaina, the Department of Environmental Management is rehabilitating upper-elevation reservoirs so that the water can be pumped and stored there for use on the slopes. This can provide water for irrigation as well as establish greenbelts for fire protection.”

Congratulations to the four organizations for pressing the issue and securing a big win for West Maui and the nearshore waters at North Beach.