Wahiawa Wastewater Treatment Plant honored with eighth award

WAHIAWA—Wahiawa Wastewater Treatment Plant is one of five City treatment plants to be awarded for outstanding compliance records in 2009, receiving a gold Peak Performance Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA). The award is the Central Oahu facility’s eighth since 1994, and honors treatment plants that achieved 100 percent compliance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) standards during the calendar year.

Wahiawa’s treatment plant was honored with the award at the 2009 NACWA Summer Conference and 40th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, where it also received six silver awards in the last 16 years.

According to Markus Owens, Department of Environmental Services’ public communications officer, the Wahiawa plant has five standards it must report to qualify for compliance. “Four are pollutants and the fifth is a test of fish survival in a tank of the treated discharge,” Owens said.

Each plant has its own set of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits it must follow, so each award winning facility does not meet the same regulations when qualifying for their awards. Owens noted that the Wahiawa plant is the only one on Oahu that discharges into freshwater, the Wahiawa Reservoir.

Owens said a combination of a solid Regional Supervisor, a quality plant manager and well-trained staff all work together to keep the Wahiawa plant at 100 percent compliance with the regulations.

Kailua Regional and Honouliuli wastewater treatment plants also recieved gold awards while Waianae WWTP was honored with a platinum award for the eighth consecutive year, which recognizes facilities with 100 percent compliance with its NPDES permit for five or more consecutive years. NACWA also honored Sand Island’s wastewater treatment plant with a silver award, recognizing it for receiving no more than five permit violations during 2009.

Built in 1928, the Wahiawa plant is the oldest treatment facility on Oahu. The plant, which processes approximately 1.6 millions gallons per day, will soon be upgraded to become home to the City’s first Membrane Bioreactor (MBR). The upgrades will allow the plant to eventually meet the State’s highest recycled water requirements.