NOTICE OF PROPOSED WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PERMIT
FOR YACHT HARBOR TOWERS
HONOLULU, ISLAND OF OAHU
NPDES PERMIT NO. HI 0020346
DOCKET NO. HI 0020346
June 24, 2019
The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) tentatively proposes to issue a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to discharge once-through non-contact cooling water from the Yacht Harbor Towers, to receiving
State waters, subject to special conditions to:
ASSOCIATION OF UNIT OWNERS YACHT HARBOR TOWERS
The proposed NPDES permit for the existing discharge will expire five (5) years from the date of issuance.
The facility, located in Honolulu, Island of Oahu, Hawaii, comprises of two towers of 459 units of residential condominiums and three commercial activities. All units are provided with air conditioning services via a chilled water system. Water from two wells is pumped through a heat exchanger and then discharged into the Ala Wai Canal through Outfall Serial No. 001. An average of 1.32 million gallons of non-contact cooling water is discharged per day.
The receiving waters, Ala Wai Canal, is designated as a Class 2 Inland Estuary under Hawaii Administrative Rules, 11-54-5.1(b). The objective of Class 2 waters is to protect their use for recreational purposes, the support and propagation of aquatic life, agricultural and industrial water supplies, shipping, and navigation. The uses to be protected in this class of waters are all uses compatible with the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife, and with recreation in and on these waters. These waters shall not act as receiving waters for any discharge which has not received the best degree of treatment or control compatible with the criteria established for this class.
Persons wishing to comment upon or object to the proposed NPDES permits or to request a public hearing, should submit their comments or requests in writing no later than 30 calendar days after the date of this notice, either through e-mail at: cleanwaterbranch@doh.hawaii.gov or by mail at 2827 Waimano Home Road, Room 225, Pearl City, Hawaii 96782.
Copies of the proposed public notice permit and other information are available for public inspection, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) from 7:45 a.m. until 4:15 p.m., at the DOH Clean Water Branch (CWB) office located at the 2827 Waimano Home Road 225, Pearl City, Hawaii 96782. Copies may be bought. The public notice permit and fact sheet are also available on the internet at: http://health.hawaii.gov/cwb/site-map/home/public-notices-and-updates and on the WPC Viewer located at: http://eha-web.doh.hawaii.gov/wpc-viewer. For more information or if you have special needs due to disability that will aid you in inspecting and/or commenting on the public notice permit and related information, please contact Mr. Darryl Lum, Supervisor of the Engineering Section, CWB, at the above address or (808) 586-4309 (Voice) at least seven (7) calendar days before the comment deadline. For those who use a TTY/TDD, please call through Sprint Relay Hawaii, at 1-711 or 1-877-447-5991.
All written comments and requests received on time will be considered. If DOH determines that there is significant public interest, a public hearing may be held after at least 30 calendar days of public notice.
If DOH’s position is substantially unchanged after considering all timely written comments and all oral comments at any public hearing that may be held, then the DOH will issue the NPDES permit and this action will be final.
Please notify anyone you know who would be interested in this matter.
BRUCE S. ANDERSON, Ph.D.
Director of Health
(SA1208640 6/24/19)
