Swimmers, surfers and fishers in Līhuʻe are being told to steer clear of the water after about 1,000 gallons of wastewater spilled near the Kapaia Sewage Pump Station and may have slipped into nearby streams and coastal areas.
The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) issued a public warning after the Tuesday morning spill sent sewage onto Kūhiō Highway and Ma‘alo Road. County crews moved quickly to pump down the station’s wet well, disinfect the roadway and get the facility back in service, but the incident still triggered a wastewater-discharge advisory for parts of Kapaia and the Hanamāʻulu area.
County: Communication Failure Caused Overflow
According to Kaua‘i County, the trouble started when a communication failure between the pump station’s control system and its pumping equipment let wastewater levels climb inside the wet well. With nowhere else to go, sewage overflowed from a nearby manhole and spilled onto Kūhiō Highway and Ma‘alo Road.
County officials estimate roughly 1,000 gallons escaped between about 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. Crews responded by pumping down the wet well, disinfecting the affected roadway and restoring normal operations. The county says the communication issue has been fixed, and cleanup work is still wrapping up.
DOH Issues Wastewater Advisory
Local coverage reports that the Hawaiʻi Department of Health issued a wastewater-discharge advisory urging people to avoid coastal and stream waters near the Kapaia pump station until sampling and cleanup are complete. Kaua‘i Now notes that DOH specifically warned the spill may have reached Hanamā‘ulu Stream and could have entered state waters.
What the Advisory Means for Swimmers and Surfers
Health officials with the Hawaiʻi Department of Health’s Clean Water Branch remind the public that sewage-contaminated water can carry pathogens that cause skin infections and gastrointestinal illnesses. Their standing advice is simple: avoid brown, murky water and any spots where runoff is flowing into the ocean.
The Clean Water Branch regularly posts beach advisories, lab results and signage information on its monitoring pages. For official guidance, see Hawaiʻi DOH Clean Water Branch.
Cleanup Progress and Who to Contact
County crews say they pumped up ponded wastewater from the roadway, disinfected affected surfaces and returned the Kapaia pump station to normal operation, according to local coverage. Hawaii News Now reports that anyone with questions about the incident can contact Donald Fujimoto of the Wastewater Management Division at 808-241-4083 or [email protected].
Why This Matters
This spill is one of several wastewater incidents on Kaua‘i in recent months, underscoring the strain on aging infrastructure that county officials have been trying to tackle. State loan and project lists show “Hanamā‘ulu and Kapaia SPS Renovations” among funded projects, signaling plans to upgrade the area’s pump stations.
The state WPCRF report from Hawaiʻi DOH lays out renovation funding details, while earlier spill activity in the same region is documented by Kaua‘i Now.
