Goodfellow Bros. LLC, a contractor for the Hawaii County Department of Environmental Management’s Wastewater Division, has been issued a notice of violation and order for discharging untreated domestic sewage into Reed’s Bay late last year.
According to the state Department of Health, which issued the order, the DOH was notified on Nov. 30 of a spill from the county’s Banyan Sewage Pump Station, located at 280 Banyan Drive in Hilo. County officials reported that approximately 28,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled from a sewer main when contractors accidentally punctured the pipe while installing a sidewalk. The spill, which occurred between approximately noon and 12:20 p.m., entered the “Ice Pond” portion of the bay.
“The discharge of raw sewage into state waters is unacceptable,” said Keith Kawaoka, deputy director of Environmental Health. “When working near our beaches and streams, contractors need to take extra care and pay additional attention to the location of underground utilities.”
In response to the spill, health officials oversaw bacterial monitoring of the nearshore waters around the spill site. Warning signs were posted for seven days until water quality returned to normal levels.
The violation notice includes a requirement for Goodfellow Bros. to provide a report that describes how spills will be prevented in the future and pay a penalty of $25,000.
Goodfellow Bros. has 20 days to contest the findings and request a hearing.