Clogged system caused sewage release, Navy says

About 300,000 gallons of treated and disinfected sewage was released into the ocean off Pearl Harbor Friday and early Saturday, the Navy reports.

The treatment plant discharged the effluent from its ocean outfall at a depth of 150 feet and 1.5 miles from shore, the Naval Facilities Engineering Command said in a statement Saturday.

The effluent was discharged without the usual sand filtration process, but is expected to be naturally dispersed with minimal human health and environmental impacts, the Navy said.

Officials said the discharge, which lasted from 7 p.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday, was caused by higher than normal amounts of solids that passed through the secondary treatment process and caused the sand filtration system to clog.

Officials said the Navy notified the state Department of Health as required by the treatment plant’s permit.

The effluent went through the ultraviolet disinfection system, the final stage of treatment, before being released into the ocean, the Navy added.

Teen driver faces violations in 2 crashes

Kauai police cited a 17-year-old boy with second-degree negligent injury and leaving the scene of an accident on Friday for his alleged involvement in two consecutive traffic crashes in Puhi that backed up traffic for about an hour, county officials said Saturday.

The teen was also cited for being in an accident involving bodily injury and not having insurance, officials said.

The first incident happened around

2:35 p.m. when the boy was heading west in a Jeep on Kaumualii Highway near Kukui Grove Center and rear-ended a Chevy sedan being driven

by a 48-year-old man visiting from Colorado.

Officials said the boy fled the scene and continued west on the highway.

The driver was not injured.

Next, the boy collided with a Nissan heading east in the outermost lane of Kaumualii Highway while he was attempting to turn left onto the Anonui Road junction just past Kauai Community College, officials said.

The 32-year-old Kapaa woman driving the Nissan had to be extricated by Kauai fire crews. She was taken to Wilcox Memorial Hospital with injuries to her neck, arms and legs that were not life-threatening, officials said.

The teenager apparently was not

injured in either incident, officials said. He was later released to his guardian after being detained.