Māʻalaea Regional Wastewater Reclamation System (MRWRS) FAQ

• Māʻalaea Bay’s coral reefs are near total collapse.
• As shown in Coral Reef Assessment & Monitoring Programs, the Bay went from 75% living coral coverage in 1995 to less than 8% in 2005, https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/files/2014/04/MauiReefDeclines.pdf
• Today, the Bay has less than 5% living coral coverage.
• There are a total of 24 injection wells that discharge more than 100,000 gallons of wastewater every day into Māʻalaea Bay.
• No reef means no fish, no sand production & no shoreline protection.
• Māʻalaea Bay is listed by the EPA on the 303.D list of impaired waters.

• Excessive sedimentation: Rainwater brings dirt and mud from the highway and from the hills above Māʻalaea. Mauka stream flows have been diverted from reaching the natural filtration of the Māʻalaea mudflats. This problem causes brown water events. This issue is fixable with land restoration efforts which have already started.
• Excessive wastewater pollution: Contaminants including excess nutrients, PFAs (forever chemicals), pharmaceuticals and pathogens are carried in our wastewater and quickly percolate into the groundwater and out into the ocean. The proposed Māʻalaea wastewater treatment system, will not only address wastewater pollution by eliminating discharge, but will also tackle sedimentation by establishing a vigorous windbreak and fire break with native, canoe crop and functional plant species.

• There is one simple overriding reason: To clean up Māʻalaea Bay and restore the nearshore marine ecosystem (the coral reefs, the limu, the ʻōpae (shrimp), the baby fish and the seashells). These restoration efforts will support new sand creation and in turn increase protection against coastal erosion.
• Nature is very resilient. If we can clean up the bay, nature can regenerate. We truly can restore the coastal ecosystem– healthy reefs, increase fish populations and improve many other ecological services all while preserving associated economic benefits for locals and visitors alike.

• The Māʻalaea Village Association (MVA) represents the entire Māʻalaea Village community. This includes Maui long term residents, condo resident owners, second homeowners that do not rent out, STR owners, the Commercial Triangle businesses and visitors
• The purpose of the MVA is to protect the unique community of Māʻaalaea Village; to improve communication between stakeholders; and to educate the Māʻalaea/Maui communities and elected officials on the need to preserve and share Māʻalaea Village’s rural, ocean-oriented sense of place, for the benefit of all.
• The MVA is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. The board and its representatives has taken the initiative over the last 7 years to research and pursue alternatives to the known negatives of injection wells. Thousands of volunteer hours have been invested in this project. County, state and federal funds have also been invested, along with private donors.
• The MVA has gained national attention with this project. We have been told that this proactive effort by the Māʻalaea community to clean up Māʻalaea Bay has been unique within the wastewater world. We hope that we can be successful. Please consider supporting this effort. Donate and be a part of building the Mā’alaea Regional Wastewater System

The Maui Ocean Center and other conservation organizations have the seedstocks necessary to reestablish the native coral and limu species in Māʻalaea Bay. However, these corals would not be able to survive and propagate until the water quality within Māʻalaea Bay is healthy enough to be able to sustain them.

• The Māʻalaea Regional Wastewater Reclamation System (MRWRS) is a community-driven approach to clean up Māʻalaea Bay. This effort will need the support from everyone who benefits including residents, tourists and the authorities.
• A wastewater reclamation system that will provide R-1 water, which is an asset that can be used for landscaping and crop irrigation.
• The project plan includes creating a large greenbelt of native plants that will serve as a windbreak and a firebreak for the community which is vulnerable to wildfires.
• The regional wastewater reclamation system will save over six million gallons of fresh water a year that is currently being used for landscaping.

• Māʻalaea consists of 10 condos with a total of 567 living units. This is the equivalent of between 1,100 and 2,200 people depending on occupancy.
• Of the 352 units, 62% are short-term rentals (STR) and 215 units, 38% are long term residences (LTR).
• The Māʻalaea Triangle Association (MTA) comprises nine commercial properties that includes Harbor Shops, Maui Ocean Center, Starbucks, a Gas Station, Carl’s Jr, and a Golf and Sports Park. These businesses have a wide-reaching positive impact in the community by employing community members and supporting many community services.
• There are also several houses along Honoapiilani Highway on the cliffs above the Bay that could be part of the treatment system.
• The State of Hawaiʻi Māʻalaea Boat Harbor is also part of the community, and they are currently operating their own small wastewater treatment system that is leaking and needs to be replaced. They are also on their own injection well that is polluting the Bay.

An injection well is a pipe that extends from the ground surface down into the groundwater. Solids are removed and wastewater is discharged into these pipes. This sewage water is released into the porous rock underground where it is diluted in the groundwater. Natural flows take this groundwater into the ocean. The wastewater for each of the injection wells serving the Māʻalaea community is required to be treated but there is no limit on nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and there is no disinfection required.

• As of today, in Hawaiʻi, injection wells are legal, but the U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that they contribute to water quality pollution and need to be replaced.
• The Department of Health Administrative Rules (Title 11, Chapter 23) provide conditions governing the location, construction, and operation of injection wells so that injected fluids do not migrate and pollute underground sources of drinking water.
• The Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) oversees the Underground Injection Control (UIC) program.
• The Māʻalaea injection wells (two for every system, 24 in total) are currently permitted and in compliance with regulations. Although they do not pollute drinking water, they are a known source of polluted water into the Bay.
• No new injection well permits are being allowed by the Dept of Health, and existing ones will eventually need to be converted.

• Erosion and stormwater runoff also impact the bay. During storm events, water carries sediment, excess nutrients and pollutants from urban and agricultural areas.
• This issue is being addressed in the Māʻalaea Mauka upland coastal areas where restoration projects are working to improve the landscape with native plantings and reforestation. Ultimately, ecological restoration will improve the soils, while enhancing water infiltration and reducing runoff.
• R1 reuse water from the Māʻalaea Regional Wastewater Reclamation System (MRWRS) can be used to support these efforts by providing irrigation water and establishing plants in these areas.

Māʻalaea Bay, from Makena to the Māʻalaea Boat Harbor, is a major economic engine for Maui’s people and visitors. Reversing the decay of Māʻalaea Bay is important for everyone who lives on Maui. Visitors come to Maui for its environment and beauty. A healthy and vibrant marine ecosystem supports employment opportunities and economic security. A collapse of Māʻalaea Bay would not just affect the local economy, it would affect everyone living on Maui.

• The Māʻaalaea Village Association (MVA) is a nonprofi t 501c3. The MVA will develop and operate MRWRS through a nonprofi t 501c12 called the Māʻalaea Wastewater Association.
• This unique corporation is organized as a “mutual” or “cooperative” utility that is similar in character to the electric company on Kauai. The MVA will also train and organize a work force with the proper talent to run the utility.

• The County of Maui has explained that they do not have the staffi ng levels, the technical knowledge, or the capacity to build, staff and manage this project.
• This is not a DEM project. DEM is not required to play any role besides an advisory role in the development of this non-profi t utility.
• Maui County maintains the right and option to take over this utility at any time.

• No, it is not
• Māʻalaea Village has working injection well systems with all the permits and permissions needed to operate. MVA is not required to fi x the ecological problems of Māʻalaea Bay, but they want to reverse the decline of Māʻalaea Bay before it is too late. They are not mandated in any way to address the issue and do what is best for the Bay.
• All injection well permits renewed from the State Department of Health now require every injection well operator to shut down and connect to the regional wastewater system when it becomes available. All owners, including short term rental owners, will help pay the millions that it will cost to decommission their wastewater plants, decommission their injection wells, and connect to a sewer.
• The State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health has been a supporter of this project.

• Yes, a Community Facilities District (CFD) is still on the table for funding construction. A CDF is time-consuming and could easily take ten years.

• In this phase, the project has raised $1.25 million dollars from private donations and a Federal grant.
• Matching County funds to prepare ground and provide a shovel-ready project with permits
• MVA is actively looking for funding for the installation.
  • Donate and be a part of building the Mā’alaea Regional Wastewater System through the Māʻalaea Village Association’s Special Projects fund. Reference “MRWRS” with your donation’s comment.
  • All donations are tax deductible.
  • Checks can me made to:
    Māʻalaea Village Association (MVA)
    P.O. Box 2122
    Wailuku, HI 96793

• Sadly no. The State of Hawaii harbor manages the twelfth injection well system in the Māʻalaea community. The harbor management has not succeeded in any meaningful dialog.
• Māʻalaea Harbor currently has its own wastewater treatment plant that primarily serves the commercial boating operations within the harbor. The harbor wastewater plant is in terrible shape. It was not built with stainless steel, so this plant is full of corrosion and holes. It leaks effl uent into the ground. It was overbuilt in size. This requires off-site (out-of-system) wastewater to be trucked into the plant to “seed” it to make sure the microbes can continue to work. The State of Hawaii has a major problem on its hands that they need to address. Working with the MRWRS team on wastewater would be an advantage.
• It would be a missed opportunity to develop a regional wastewater plant in Māʻalaea and not include the State of Hawaii owned Māʻalaea Boat Harbor in the system.

• The Māʻalaea community pays millions of dollars in General Excise Tax (GET) and Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) to Maui County. They don’t have a fi re station, a police station or schools, so their taxes can help pay for this project
• The plans for the Māʻalaea Regional Wastewater Reclamation System ensure that all stakeholders share in the costs of the system and contribute to it.
• Once the MRWRS is built, each user (the 10 condos and the commercial triangle and possibly the harbor) will be responsible for paying for their own connection to the new system.
• In addition, those using the MRWRS will be responsible for the ongoing operations and maintenance costs of the system, at no cost to Maui County.

• This project can support others by showing that a community can proactively solve its wastewater problems– setting an example for other communities with clusters of cesspools and developing a highly skilled and knowledgeable local workforce, and by sharing research and experience.
• It is possible that other communities with clusters of cesspools, like Hailiʻimaile or Makawao to create regional wastewater plants without injection wells to serve their communities, all at a cost that is far less than installing individual septic system while creating R-1 water to help reduce stress on fresh potable water resources.