Published on March 14, 2026
WAIMEA – The public is advised of a wastewater spill of about 285,750 gallons that occurred approximately between March 13 at around 8 p.m. and March 14 around 6 a.m., at the Waimea Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).
The spill occurred due to high flows from the heavy rains and high infiltration and inflow (I&I) from the storm. High flows may continue depending on the direction of this rain event, and future spills may occur until the storm passes.
The spill was isolated to overflow from the effluent tank after passing through the biological treatment process and UV disinfection. The spill was confined on-site. However, some of the spill may have entered the adjacent drainage ditches that do not touch State waters. Additional disinfection has been done in the spill areas.
The Wastewater Management Division (WMD) is working on immediate repair projects to address the infiltration and inflow problem. WMD is also working with the Hawaii Department of Health to identify options and expand the capacity of the UIC injections wells and R-1 reuse distribution to handle the higher storm flows.
Anyone with questions may contact Donald Fujimoto with the Wastewater Management Division at 808-241-4083 or via email at dfujimoto@kauai.gov.
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