A public hearing will be held Nov. 6 at the Lahaina Civic Center Social Hall Meeting Area to discuss the proposed permit renewal for the Lahaina underground injection control wastewater project, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.

The public hearing will be from 6:15 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Both written and verbal comments on the proposed permit will be accepted at the meeting as the comment period has been extended thru Nov. 6.

The EPA will consider all public comments before making a final decision on the proposed permit.

The proposed permit renewal is for the County of Maui to operate four injection wells at their Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility. The county owns and operates the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility that provides secondary treatment to domestic wastewater.

The facility recycles approximately 1 million gallons per day of treated wastewater and sends it for reuse by a nearby golf course, pineapple company, and construction contractors.

The facility disposes of most of the treated wastewater on-site in four gravity fed injection wells with a total injection volume into the four wells that currently averages between 3 and 5 million gallons per day.

The injection wells range in depth from 180 to 255 feet and are located approximately 1500 to 1900 feet from the shoreline of West Maui at an elevation of about 30 feet. There are public and private drinking water wells located on the mountain slopes above the plant, with the nearest well about 2.4 miles away at elevations of around 900 feet. Interested persons are invited to make comments and recommendations on the draft permit renewal and the County of Mauis permit renewal application. All comments must be received or postmarked by Nov. 6 and must be in writing (e-mail is acceptable) to be considered. Comments already submitted to EPA on this proposed action are available on EPA's Region 9 web site at: http://www.epa.gov/region09/water/groundwater/uic-permits.html#cur.

Send comments to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ground Water Office (WTR-9), 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, Attn: Nancy Rumrill; phone (415) 972-3293; fax (415) 947-3549; or e-mail rumrill.nancy@epa.gov.