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The state Health Department said Wednesday it issued a $9,000 penalty against two companies after a piece of material was accidentally dislodged during equipment removal work at Kekaha Sugar Mill on Kauai.
The Health Department cited Kauai Industries LLC and Big Island Landscaping for allegedly failing to thoroughly inspect Kekaha Sugar Mill for asbestos prior to demolition; failing to provide the Health Department with written notice of its intention to demolish; and engaging in an asbestos disturbance activity within the sugar millwithout proper asbestos certification.
Kekaha Sugar Mill and Lihue Sugar Mill is slated to be demolished due to deterioration and safety concerns. PAHIO Development is awaiting approval of demolition permit applications they submitted to the Kauai Department of Public Works in October.
The Health Department discovered the violations after it conducted a site inspection on April 6 following a complaint from a resident.
Thomas Lileikis, environmental health specialist of the Department of Health’s Indoor and Radiological Health Branch, said there was an inadvertent disturbance at the site of no larger than 30 square feet when a strip of structural material was inadvertently dislodged. A small amount of asbestos was released but contained within the site, and it did not pose a public health hazard, he said.
Kauai Industries could not be reached for comment. Owner Jonathan Spies of Big Island Landscaping, subcontractor of Kauai Industries, said he plans to contest the allegations. "All we did was remove equipment," said Spies. "We didn’t touch any structures."
Spies said they used a hydraulic hammer to remove concrete under the mill train. The work caused the ground and dilapidated structure to shake. "When some things got loose, we stopped," he said. An environmental consultant was at the site to assess the situation. Big Island Landscaping removed about 3,500 tons of equipment from the sugar mill that include mill rolls that squeezed the juice out of the sugar and the feeding system.
