Hellcat? Hell, yeah! (an adventure to the F6F Hellcat off Kihei, Maui)

[buknbull]

It's hard for me to tell from 6000 miles away, but seeing as they both found there way to the bottom of the Pacific all to often, I'm going to defer to those that have acutally laid eyes on it.. F6F it is..

 

[JGibbs]

Do you seriously believe that there is raw sewage being pumped into the ocean on a regular basis?

Pumped into the ocean? No.

Injected into the ground in very close proximity to the ocean? Yes.

 

[KrisB]

Pumped into the ocean? No.

Injected into the ground in very close proximity to the ocean? Yes.

Ok... so do you really think that *raw* sewage is injected into the ground very near the ocean?

If so, you really need to examine the waste treatment procedures and allowable methods of disposing of biologicals.

Where do you think the injection well is, and what do you think is going into it?

Here's a hint from Maui County, HI - Official Website

Except for one well on Molokai, which is located less than a mile from the Kaunakakai Wastewater Treatment Plant and monitored on a regular basis, County of Maui wells are located within our wastewater treatment plant sites to allow close monitoring of use and performance and avoid potential pumping costs that would otherwise be passed on to sewer users.

Remember: there is no waste treatment plan in effect for whale and turtle feces...

 

[rgbmatt]

6. Are there privately-owned and operated wastewater injection wells in the county?

Yes. There are numerous privately-owned and operated injection wells in our county. Many
privately-owned condominiums and businesses in areas that were built outside of existing County of Maui sewer service have their own injection well(s). Single-family homes built outside sewer service areas use cesspools or septic systems discharging minimally treated waste directly into the ground.

7. Does the County of Maui own or operate any wastewater injection wells in Maalaea?

No. The injection wells adjacent to Maalaea are privately-owned and operated by the condominiums in the area. They are shallow compared to the County of Maui's injection wells, and do not undergo the same level of treatment as is done in County of Maui treatment facilities.

Food for thought...

 

[KrisB]

Food for thought...

Yes, and as the fish swims, the Maalaea condos in question are over three miles away.

You're more likely to get raw untreated sewage from the passing charter boat (at the 3-mile limit) wafting in there than you are even the byproduct of these injection wells.

 

[JGibbs]

How many underground wastewater injection wells are owned and operated by the County of Maui?
The County of Maui owns and operates 18 wells: eight in Kahului, four in Lahaina, three in Kihei and three in Kaunakakai on Molokai. Seventeen of the injection wells in Maui County range in depth from 180 to 385 feet; Molokai has one that is 29 feet deep.

And BTW...I never used the word raw.

 

[KrisB]

And BTW...I never used the word raw.

That's all well and good... but really, it's one of those things that whatever the County is putting into the ground is free of biologicals. Then it's filtered by the soil before it gets to the ocean.

Furthermore, according to the County information, all their wells are located in close proximity to the waste treatment plant -- which puts them up near Monsanto. I'm pretty sure that puts them at least three miles away from this particular site (and a lot closer to the Kam's!) -- the point stands -- you can discharge (and plenty do) raw sewage once you're three miles from land. There's a nice space beyond that range between Maalaea and Molokini...

As I've pointed out -- the fears of sewage are ridiculous.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Injection wells is an interesting term. I've never heard that before. We have a septic system and some of the neighbors have cess pools but Injection? Sounds like it's pushed under ground by pressure.

 

[KrisB]

Injection wells is an interesting term. I've never heard that before. We have a septic system and some of the neighbors have cess pools but Injection? Sounds like it's pushed under ground by pressure.

It is, indeed.

It is also fully treated (in the case of Maui Co's wells) -- it's the same water they send out through the irrigation-only water lines... they just produce too much of it for it to all be used as irrigation.

While not considered "safe" for drinking (it's *very* high in mineral content), it is free of biologicals.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

It is also fully treated (in the case of Maui Co's wells) -- it's the same water they send out through the irrigation-only water lines... they just produce too much of it for it to all be used as irrigation.

While not considered "safe" for drinking (it's *very* high in mineral content), it is free of biologicals.

Maui?s message to EPA: Don?t inject, redirect - Haleakala Times

Beanniebrew and I attended the EPA public hearing on the proposed underground injection permit renewal for the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility (link above). None of the 25 speakers indicated the injection well solution is an acceptable solution, and nearly every speaker backed up their statement with relevant data.

I dive Kahikili beach (old airport) on a regular basis now, and compared to my regular Wailea shore diving of the past 3 years I have more zits now and cuts heal slower.

The water that is injected does not get the same level of treatment as the water used for irrigation; the final UV treatment is not done to the injected water, it is not R1. It is not that they produce too much water for irrigation; it is the fact that there are only a limited amount of pipes for the water. Lots of County, resort and plantation irrigation is done with potable water.

Ma'alaea Bay was once a lush reef-scape that provided a plethora of sustenance, recreation and beauty. I believe only less than 10% of the coral has survived Westernization. The non-county injection wells of the condo associations, that are most definitely not R1 and not very deep, did/do have more than a little culpability there.

There are also old condo's in North Kihei and I would not be surprised if injection wells similar to the Ma'alaea ones exist there as well. The Lahaina wells are 180' deep and over 1/4 mile from the shore. I seriously doubt any of said private wells are half that deep and they are closer to shore; happy diving y'all!

Thanks for the pictures; that's as close as I plan on getting to this wreck