Groups petition Maui County to drop injection well case

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WAILUKU — Groups that successfully sued Maui County over its use of injection wells have petitioned the county to withdraw its appeal of the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Maui News reported Thursday that four groups delivered petitions to a Maui County official Wednesday with 15,962 nationwide signers, including 735 from Hawaii.

They include the Hawaii Wildlife Fund, Surfrider Foundation, West Maui Preservation Association, and the Sierra Club.

The groups sued the county in 2012 over use of injection wells at the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility, saying effluent had reached the ocean and impacted coral reefs.

The U.S. District Court in Hawaii ruled in 2014 that the county’s use of injection wells violated the federal Clean Water Act.

The Supreme Court could take up the case in November.