WAILUKU (AP) — Maui County has received approval from the state to begin construction of a water treatment plant that will nearly double the capacity of the existing facility. ADVERTISING WAILUKU (AP) — Maui County has received approval from the
WAILUKU (AP) — Maui County has received approval from the state to begin construction of a water treatment plant that will nearly double the capacity of the existing facility.
A recent settlement allows the county to draw water from Iao Stream, as long as it returns 10 million gallons a day to the stream, said Department of Water Supply Director Dave Taylor.
The new facility would cost $12 to $15 million and construction could begin next summer and take about two years, reported The Maui News (http://bit.ly/1hIvXKu).
The existing plant produces about 1.7 million gallons of drinking water a day, but the new model will make about 3.2 million gallons, according to documents filed with the state Office of Environmental Quality Control.
The new plant will be built on approximately 2.6 acres of vacant property near the current treatment plant. Once finished, the old one will be shut down.
The temporary membrane filtration units at the existing plant have been without shelter and exposed to the elements for several years. With future population demands and the need for new treatment units, the county decided to move ahead with the plant, according to the documents.
The facility will include a treatment plant building, a 2,000-gallon diesel fuel tank, a sludge lagoon, a chlorine contact tank, finish waterline, gravity wastewater line and a draining system.
