Kalaeloa wave-pool opponents concerned about effect on aquifer

Introduction

An association opposed to a planned Kalaeloa 5-acre wave pool, which will take 7 million gallons of fresh water to fill from the same aquifer that Oahu communities depend on, says its members were heartened by developments at a court hearing Thursday.

Summary Judgment Hearing

Na Kia‘i o Wai Ha and four individuals, who filed a lawsuit against developer Honokea Kalaeloa and the state, said they were pleased Judge Shirley Kawamura wanted to start with the issue of the water during a hearing on their motion for summary judgment in the Environmental Court of the Oahu Circuit Court, said plaintiff Melinda Sonoda-Pale.

The judge ordered the parties to prepare supplemental briefs on the outstanding issues due April 26, and a further hearing will be set.

Developer and Attorney General’s Response

Attorneys for the developer and the Department of the Attorney General, representing defendant Hawaii Community Development Authority, declined comment.

Water Extraction and Injection

Within the pages of the developer’s environmental assessment, it speaks of not only taking massive amounts of water, but injecting back into the aquifer used pool water that is treated but unfit for drinking due to its salinity but suitable for irrigation.

Suspicions of Depletion

Sonoda-Pale said Honokea Kalaeloa said it would take 365 days to fill the 7 million-gallon surf lagoon from the single well it will have access to, but plaintiffs suspect the company would want to fill it within a week, depleting an aquifer already extremely deficient in potable water.

“They’re going to do it in four to five days,” she said. “They’re saying 365 days in the environmental assessment because it’s beyond the sustainable yield of the water well, which is way below a million gallons a day you can take out.”

Water Crisis and Contamination

“We’re in a water crisis; we’re post-Red Hill of 2021. There are families less than 3 miles away in Iroquois Point dealing with the shortage,” Sonoda-Pale said.

She said, “There’s not much water left. If they take more than is sustainably allowed, it could ruin not just the well, but the aquifer itself. There’s a real danger in terms of the water quality for that well, and that community itself — Kalaeloa and Ewa Beach — is already dealing with water contamination.”

She said, “Wells are like straws and it’s the same aquifer.”

Ownership and Funding

The U.S. Navy was the former owner of the well, but a private company now owns it and the developer has an agreement to use the water.

The complaint says the proposed Honokea Surf Village includes many other facilities on 19 acres of state land, using a $95 million revenue bond from the state.

Injection Wells and Water Treatment

One issue of particular concern is the injection wells that would take the used water and inject it back into the aquifer.

According to the developer’s memorandum opposing the motion for summary judgment, before the Surf Lagoon is drained, it will disinfect water from the pool by filtration, ozone, chlorine and ultraviolet disinfection, and it will dechlorinate the water before injecting it back into the aquifer.

The environmental assessment said the salinity would be raised to about 1,200 mg/l chloride, similar to the water in the receiving aquifer.

However, the EA says it will not be suitable for drinking.

“While this exceeds drinking water limits, disposal will also occur within a non-potable aquifer and is within the concentrations suitable for irrigation.”

Environmental Impact Allegations

The lawsuit alleges the environmental assessment prepared for Honokea Surf Village “did not adequately disclose and mitigate significant impacts the project will have on natural cultural and historical resources and the environment.”

The 5-acre pool site is also home to habitats for native organisms, iwi kupuna (traditional Hawaiian burials) and an underground karst cave system, where water flows to the ocean, the association says.

Avian Risk

Another concern is that the pool will attract birds, which could increase the risk of bird strikes at the Kalaeloa airport.

But the developer says in its memorandum that it intends to mitigate the risk by coordinating with agencies on guidelines to reduce wildlife attractants.

Zoning Issues

The complaint also alleges that the project includes proposed activities for which the area is not zoned.

Global Movement

Na Kia‘i o Wai Ha said it has collected about 1,000 signatures on the petition and that there are more than 30 movements to stop wave-pool projects in nine countries.