Kaua‘i-based Aqua Engineers (AE) has secured a contract to operate the Turtle Bay Resort wastewater treatment plant in Kahuku on O‘ahu’s North Shore. Under the contract, Turtle Bay Resort transferred the operation and maintenance of the facilities to AE. “We
Kaua‘i-based Aqua Engineers (AE) has secured a contract to operate the Turtle Bay Resort wastewater treatment plant in Kahuku on O‘ahu’s North Shore. Under the contract, Turtle Bay Resort transferred the operation and maintenance of the facilities to AE.
“We chose AE to operate our facility because they are so well established in the state and their name is synonymous with high quality,” said Hy Adelman, project director for Oaktree Capital Management, the owners of the Turtle Bay Resort.
AE retained all of Turtle Bay Resort’s wastewater treatment plant employees, and added two new staff members. A plant manager and one full-time employee are new, and one former Turtle Bay Resort employee was hired by AE and then transferred to AE’s Schofield wastewater treatment plant site.
All of the employees are now training to be certified wastewater treatment plant operators in the state.
“With AE at the helm, we know that there will be a high level of operational effectiveness at the plant, a great product that can be safely reused, and superb professional development opportunities for our former employees,” Adelman said. “We are happy with this situation.”
Turtle Bay Resort’s wastewater treatment plant has a 500,000-gallon per day capacity and is located on a 24-acre site. It serves the Turtle Bay Resort and two adjoining condominiums. Turtle Bay Resort is set on 880 oceanfront acres of O‘ahu. It is the only full-service luxury resort on the island’s legendary North Shore with five miles of pristine beaches and 12 miles of ocean trails.
Only 45 minutes from the high pulse and energy of Honolulu, Turtle Bay Resort guests enjoy the natural tranquility of the North Shore lifestyle and spectacular ocean views from every one of 443 beach cottages and guest rooms. The resort features two lushly landscaped pools, two championship golf courses, 10 tennis courts, horseback riding, hiking and mountain bike trails, a surfing school, and world-class dining and shopping.
“Effluent, or the treated byproduct from the facility, is being used to irrigate one of the resort golf courses and thereby relieves the strain on ground water supplies,” explained Hugh Strom, Project Manager of AE’s Turtle Bay Resort wastewater treatment plant and Assistant Manager of AE. AE, which specializes in the engineering, construction, operation, maintenance and management of water and wastewater systems throughout the state of Hawai`i, was founded in 1981 by Kagimoto, Walter Briant, Seichi Oyama, and Frank Kiger. “We’re very pleased to have this opportunity to serve O‘ahu’s North Shore community and the Turtle Bay Resort,” asserted AE President Ian Kagimoto.
“And, we’re fortunate to have a strong local team in place there.”
More than 20 years after AE’s inception, its services have expanded to include engineering, materials testing, collection system maintenance, precast concrete products manufacturing, and construction. AE has more than 70 employees on Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, Lana‘i, Maui and O‘ahu.
