Public briefed on sludge hauling

City officials sought to ease community members’ concerns over plans to truck raw sewage sludge from urban Honolulu to outlying communities.

The public meeting was held Monday night by the city as it continues planning for test runs later this month of trucking raw sewage sludge from Sand Island to Honouliuli Wastewater Treatment Plant to ease congestion on the Honolulu facility.

The city ultimately plans to haul the sludge to plants in Kailua and Waianae — in addition to Honouliuli — as it deals with delays in the expansion of facilities at Sand Island.

Hauling sludge to the other plants is seen as a temporary means of relieving the over-capacity "digester" at Sand Island while the administration and City Council work out plans for the safest, most cost- effective way to expand the facility.

"We do not want to wait for failure," said Tim Steinberger, director of the city Department of Environmental Services. "That is simply not an option."

The public meeting at the city’s Mission Memorial Auditorium attracted about 50 people, mostly city workers and staff members for various elected officials and government agencies. Monday’s meeting came as the City Council prepared for its own informational briefing on the matter Wednesday before the Public Works and Sustainability Committee.

While there was no formal question-and-answer session, officials stuck around after the hourlong series of presentations to speak informally with those in attendance.

"I commend the administration for putting this meeting together," said Councilman Ikaika Anderson, who was among a handful of lawmakers in attendance. "However, I do look forward to an actual discussion between the administration and City Council on Wednesday.

"What the people of Honolulu want to hear about is what the contingency plans are to deal with the excess sewage. … What they want is for the Council and the administration to come together and solve the problem."

MAYOR Peter Carlisle announced plans last month for the test runs to Honouliuli while the city concurrently conducts an environmental assessment of the entire project to haul sludge to additional plants in Kailua and Waianae.

Test runs are not being made to Kailua and Waianae at this time because of mechanical issues at those plants, officials said.

Steinberger said the city is in the process of contracting with a consultant to conduct the environmental assessment.

Hauling the sludge is only a temporary fix while the city seeks to expand the Sand Island plant and build a second 100-foot-high, egg-shaped digester, which processes the sludge through a method known as "in-vessel bioconversion" and is capable of producing fertilizer pellets from the sludge.

The city had begun design and planning for the new digester and sought $26 million for it this year, but the Council deleted the funds in the current fiscal budget out of concerns over the plant’s operator, Synagro Hawaii, and safety issues raised about the fertilizer pellets.

The city sought to address concerns over Synagro by bringing out the company’s president and chief executive, Bill Massa, to address the public meeting Monday.

"We are very strong supporters of the digester here at Sand Island," Massa said. "It is, in our opinion, the best solution for Honolulu’s specific needs.

"I think it’s a matter of education and familiarity in addressing these issues."