Hanalei mud is OK, state says

The state Department of Health says concentrations of arsenic, barium, chromium and lead in mud samples from the Hanalei River and Bay on Kauai are within anticipated, natural background levels.

The department issued a statement Wednesday responding to a report that a Hanalei River Heritage Foundation biologist’s mud samples showed high levels of the metals in the area.

The metals are naturally occurring, aren’t related to man-made pollution and are similar to metals in soil found anywhere on the islands. The department says they are not toxic to humans or wildlife.

The statement says the foundation incorrectly compared the mud sample data to regulatory standards for drinking water. It says these standards aren’t applicable to metals in soil or sediment.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Copter victims out of hospital

The two 27-year-old men on a helicopter that made a hard landing in a North Kona lava field Wednesday were released from the hospital that night, representatives of the company that owns the aircraft said Thursday.

Onboard were an instructor, who suffered a stress fracture to the spine, and his student, who suffered a small cut to his hand, Mauna Loa Helicopters personnel said.

The National Transportation Safety Board was scheduled to begin its investigation Thursday, a company representative said.

The copter went down mauka of the Four Seasons Hualalai Resort after the instructor experienced engine failure, Hawaii County Fire Department officials said Wednesday.

3 face EPA fines for cesspools

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it’s fining three Hawaii island entities for their use of large-capacity cesspools.

A large-capacity cesspool discharges untreated sewage from buildings serving 20 or more people per day.

EPA regulations required existing large cesspools to close in 2005 and prohibited new construction after April 2000. The rules don’t apply to single-family homes with individual cesspools.

The EPA said Wednesday it is penalizing GLACS LLC $68,000 for operating 10 of the cesspools at Kailua-Kona office buildings. It fined the Jazmin Family Trust $60,000 for the continued operation of two large-capacity cesspools at a Kailua-Kona apartment complex, and it fined Hula Daddy Kona Coffee $13,200 for installing a new cesspool in Holualoa after the 2000 construction ban.