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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 10:20 a.m., Friday, December 12, 2008

347,680 gallons of wastewater spilled

Advertiser Staff

A total of 347,680 gallons of treated and untreated wastewater overflowed into streams, lakes and the ocean from Waianae to Kaneohe during yesterday's storm, the city said in a news release.

About a third of that — 226,000 gallons of fully treated and untreated wastewater — went into Wahiawa Reservoir, the city said.

The city and state Department of Health are monitoring water quality at a dozen Oahu locations, the news release said.

Here are some of yesterday's spills reported by the city:

• At 1015 North School Street, 38,000 gallons of untreated wastewater spilled into Kapalama Canal after a sewer pipe overflowed.

• At 1047 Hele Street in Kailua, 17,250 gallons of untreated wastewater spilled into Enchanted Lake.

• At the intersection of Pakini Street/Salt Lake Boulevard in Salt Lake, 23,500 gallons overflowed into Manuwai Canal.

• Crews from the city's Department of Environmental Services also responded to two wastewater treatment plant overflows, one at the Wahiawa plant and one at the Sand Island plant.

The City said it notified the state Department of Health of the overflows. Warning signs have been posted and samplings have been done in many areas, with other areas to come.

Intermittent overflows from the Wahiawa facility began at 5:23 a.m. yesterday and ended at 1:40 p.m., the city said About 226,000 gallons of combined fully treated and untreated wastewater went into Wahiawa Reservoir.

The city also said about 10,000 gallons overflowed from a drain line at the Sand Island facility. About half of that dissipated into the plant grounds and the rest entered a storm drain that leads to Honolulu Harbor.