What’s that smell?
What’s that smell?
A few years ago, former County Councilwoman Brenda Ford challenged former Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi for assigning Bobby Jean Leithead Todd to the position as the county Department of Environmental Management chief administrator.
In 2014, Hilo’s Wastewater Treatment Plant, cited with violations by the EPA, was required to repair leaking pipes outside of Puhi Bay in Keaukaha. The Keaukaha community continued to complain of the rotten-egg-like smells (hydrogen sulfide) coming from the old raw sewage treatment plant now used by the University of Hawaii.
Although the raw sewage is not being treated in front of the ocean and now across from the General Lyman Field airport runway, the new pipes are attached to the old corroded pipelines. A presentation by the Wastewater Treatment Plant and Leithead Todd was given to our community to assure us that we were not to worry because the emissions coming out from the leaky pipes “were not harmful.”
The smell was not addressed. Today, there are leaks on land and “keep out” signs saying that the water is contaminated. Procurements to fix and repair these problems are only being addressed now with our new administration.
County officials in the past knew that these issues existed and never took into consideration the severity of the impacts. They allocated millions of dollars to projects that would give Hilo a face-lift so that maybe visitors would be happy to spend more time in our city, not being transparent about what’s really happening underneath of it all. They should be forthcoming and tell visitors what’s really in the waters of our Keaukaha shoreline.
You can hide what’s on top, but when it stinks, it stinks!
Terri L. Napeahi
Keaukaha
Mahalo!
We were shopping at 1:20 p.m. Nov. 29 at KTA, checkout lane No. 4, and had problems with our bank/debit card.
A very nice and kind lady who was in line behind us stepped forward and paid for my groceries! Thank you so much! That was very kind and generous of you.
I hope you will read this expression of gratitude, and we wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season and happy new year!
S. Iyo
Hilo