KEKAHA — In response to a community group’s complaints, health inspectors flew to Kaua‘i on Tuesday to assess the cleanup operations of toxic substances at Kekaha Sugar Mill. “We received seven letters of complaint from a community group,” said Tom
KEKAHA — In response to a community group’s complaints, health inspectors flew to Kaua‘i on Tuesday to assess the cleanup operations of toxic substances at Kekaha Sugar Mill.
“We received seven letters of complaint from a community group,” said Tom Lileikis, a Hawai‘i Department of Health environmental specialist in the asbestos program. “At this time, we found no questionable activities. They were primarily cutting steel … We can’t say it’s a perfect situation, but it’s a very old mill.” He said his department is working with the parties involved to ensure toxic materials are being identified properly, and “everyone is cooperating.”
In preparation to convert Kekaha Sugar Mill into a biomass energy plant, energy developer Pacific West Energy Kaua‘i announced in January that cleanup operations had begun at the site, including the abatement of asbestos and the removal of lead and scrap materials.
“We’re trying to get a better handle on the asbestos identification areas,” Lileikis said. “The work is ongoing. The (asbestos) areas they have identified were marked off as they should be with yellow tape and there are warning signs for employees.”
The sugar mill, centrally located in Kekaha and in close proximity to homes and schools, ceased operations nearly a decade ago and had become a dumping ground for old cars, batteries and hazardous materials.
“People are complaining about sore throats and burning eyes,” said Mary Jean Buza-Sims, president of E Ola Mau Na Leo O Kekaha, a 40-member community organization. “A lot of people are getting sick in our community.” She also referred to the mill as a designated Superfund site and said she asked DOH to issue a “stop work” order until it completes a toxic analysis.
Lileikis said burning eyes and sore throats could be caused by fumes created by the cutting of metals during the dismantling process. “When you burn metals, it becomes a fume. Asbestos has no symptoms,” he said. Lead is regulated only if it’s a child facility or within housing.
The asbestos remediation and abatement process, expected to last nine months, has not yet begun at the mill. Lileikis added that Kekaha landfill is not accepting asbestos, so the material, once removed, will be shipped to O‘ahu for disposal.
Buza-Sims also complained of “disturbing toxic airborne particulates that threaten the lives of Kekaha residents.”
Rod Yama, a DOH fugitive dust environmental specialist on Kaua‘i, said he received a complaint and went out to inspect the mill on Tuesday.
“It was not a good day to go out from a dust perspective,” Yama said. “The area was flooded. Kekaha was really wet.” He plans to follow up on another day.
He did note, however, that a short dust fence surrounded the perimeter of the mill and a water wagon was on site to keep dust from becoming airborne.
There are two basic rules those performing the cleanup must follow, Yama said. First, if they are creating visible airborne dust, they must use reasonable precaution. Second, if they’re not effective in preventing dust from becoming airborne, they have to find a way to contain it.
“There shouldn’t be any dust crossing the lot line,” he said. “You must try to intercept it using dust screens, and that’s part of the work they’re doing.” He said there are no rules to enforce for fumes.
In terms of the site being designated as a “Superfund,” this is the designated name given to the environmental program established to address abandoned hazardous waste sites, according to the EPA’s website. It pertains to a law enacted in the wake of the discovery of toxic waste dumps, such as Love Canal and Times Beach in the 1970s, that allows the EPA to clean up such sites and to compel responsible parties to perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA-led cleanups.
“Kekaha Mill is most definitely not a Superfund site,” said Gary Gill, deputy director for DOH. “Contaminated sites are assessed and ranked and, if approved by the EPA, can be labeled as a Superfund site, which triggers priority listing for cleanup and federal (oversight).”
Dean Higuchi, U.S. EPA spokesman for the State of Hawai‘i, said there are four Superfund sites in the state and all are located on O‘ahu. They include Pearl Harbor, Del Monte, Schofield Barracks, and the water well and Naval Communications Village. Kekaha Sugar Mill is not and never has been a Superfund site.
The reason the Kekaha Sugar Mill may turn up on an EPA Superfund website search is because of a previously performed inspection; however, DOH found it does not to fit the criteria necessary to be designated a Superfund site.
“A dry cleaner can pop up in the search simply because of the chemicals they use,” Higuchi said.
EPA’s website says a discovery was performed at Kekaha Mill in November of 2001, and a combined preliminary assessment and site inspection was completed in September 2005. It appears that no decision was made as to its status and it was not placed on the National Priorities List for cleanup.
Statewide, more than 800 asbestos abatement activities are reported per year in Hawai‘i, anywhere from a 1,000-square-foot condominium to a large sugar mill, Lileikis said. DOH inspects sites on an as-needed basis.
Buza-Sims’ press release to a Honolulu newspaper dated May 6, 2011, says, “We have also asked for proof of which parties have assumed express liability for damages suffered by the community and our health due to improper cleanup or failure to properly inform the DOH and the EPA of toxicity at the mill.” It is not clear whether she is receiving or intends to obtain legal counsel.
In the meantime, Lileikis said DOH is trying to coordinate a group response to those who filed a complaint via a letter from Gill’s office.
“I’m sure there will be more inspections. It’s a long project and a big mill,” Lileikis said. “The residents have valid concerns. I wouldn’t want to live down wind of a sugar mill that was being dismantled.”
• Vanessa Van Voorhis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or by emailing vvanvoorhis@ thegardenisland.com.
