U.S. EPA completes wastewater mission in Lahaina, Hawai’i

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently completed its Drinking Water and Wastewater mission in Lahaina, Hawai’i, as part of a multi-agency emergency response to the Maui wildfires in 2023.

The mission is helping the County of Maui restore drinking water and wastewater services to the community in the wildfire-impacted areas of Lahaina.

Following the wildfires in August 2023, as requested by the County of Maui and the State of Hawaii under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the EPA provided technical assistance and coordinated operations with both the Maui County Department of Environmental Management and Department of Water Supply.

Starting on January 4, 2024, over the course of seven months, the EPA tested drinking water quality in 1308 lateral service lines that connect water mains to properties with burned structures.

If contamination was detected, or if a lateral was too damaged to be sampled, the line was isolated from the main distribution line and marked for replacement.

The EPA also sampled 135 fire hydrants, isolated 589 contaminated laterals and inspected 97,749 feet of sewer lines in Lahaina.

The County of Maui continues to use data generated from the EPA’s operations to make determinations on whether the water is potable and ready for use in areas of Lahaina that are under an Unsafe Water Advisory.