NOTICE OF PROPOSED WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PERMIT
FOR WAIAU GENERATING STATION
PEARL CITY, ISLAND OF OAHU
NPDES PERMIT NO. HI 0000604
DOCKET NO. HI 0000604
June 5, 2019
The State Department of Health (DOH) tentatively proposes to issue a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to discharge once-through noncontact cooling water, treated low volume wastes, treated metal cleaning wastes, and storm water associated with industrial activity from the Waiau Generating Station, to receiving State waters, subject to special conditions to:
HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INC.
The proposed NPDES permit for the existing discharge will expire five (5) years from the date of issuance.
The facility, located in Pearl City, Island of Oahu, Hawaii, is a steam electric power generating facility with a total generating capacity of 499 megawatts. The facility operates six steam turbine generators and two diesel combustion turbines. Once-through noncontact cooling water is pumped from East Loch, Pearl Harbor to cool the six steam turbine generators and is discharged to Pearl Harbor through Outfall Serial Nos. 002, 003, and 004. Additionally, the facility discharges treated low volume wastes and treated metal cleaning wastes through Outfall Serial Nos. 003 and 004. Low volume wastes include wastewater from the reverse osmosis/ electro–deionization system, water treatment evaporator blowdown, laboratory and sampling streams, boiler blowdown, floor drains, and recirculating house service water system. Metal cleaning wastes include wastewaters resulting from cleaning any metal process equipment, primarily boiler and air preheater wash water. The facility also intermittently discharges storm water runoff to Pearl Harbor through Outfall Serial Nos. 002 through 023.
The receiving water, Pearl Harbor, is classified by the DOH as Class 2, Inland Estuary. 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, HI 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
(SA1202080 6/5/19)
