EPA v. Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill AO 11/29/2011

Case summary

U.S. EPA orders City and County of Honolulu and Waste Management to address stormwater violations at Waimanalo Gulch Landfill HONOLULU ? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week issued an order to the City and County of Honolulu and Waste Management, Inc., to take immediate steps to address stormwater violations at the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill on Oahu. EPA?s ongoing review of operations at the landfill revealed violations of the Clean Water Act and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit regulating stormwater discharges from the landfill. ?The City and County of Honolulu and Waste Management must quickly complete work on stormwater protections at the landfill,? said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA?s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. ?We will be closely monitoring the work so runoff from future storms is properly controlled and residents? health and Oahu?s coastal waters are protected.? EPA found the City and Waste Management failed to comply with the requirements of the state of Hawaii?s NPDES stormwater general permit on at least three occasions associated with storm events in December 2010 and January 2011. The order cites failure to: ? prevent runoff of surface water that had come into contact with waste, ? control erosion to prevent loss of landfill cover or washout of refuse slopes, ? properly manage leachate, and ? retain and remove silt from surface water before it was discharged from the site. The order requires completion of a project to completely separate stormwater generated outside of the landfill from stormwater generated at the landfill; submit to EPA for review and approval a study to evaluate the adequacy of the landfill?s stormwater detention basin pond and an enhanced stormwater monitoring plan; and submit monthly monitoring reports. Waste Management is the contractor operating the landfill for the City and County of Honolulu. In December 2010 and January 2011, rains caused flooding at the landfill. A section of the landfill was flooded with stormwater, causing waste to be released, which resulted in beach contamination and beach closures. EPA?s previous order to Waste Management in January, which has since been completed, addressed the response and cleanup measures that were immediately needed to stabilize the landfill?s structure and stormwater controls. Superceded by Consent Decree and Penalty Action Civ. No. 19-0224 Filed 7/3/2019

Defendants (2)

• Waste Management of Hawaii, Inc.Named in complaintNamed in settlement
• City and County of HonoluluNamed in complaintNamed in settlement

Facilities (4)

• WAIMANALO GULCH SANITARY LANDFILL

  92-460 FARRINGTON HIGHWAY, KAPOLEI, HI, 96707

  Registry ID: 110014055501

• WAIMANALO GULCH SANITARY LANDFILL

  92-460 FARRINGTON HIGHWAY, KAPOLEI, HI, 96707

  Registry ID: 110014055501

• WAIMANALO GULCH SANITARY LANDFILL

  92-460 FARRINGTON HIGHWAY, KAPOLEI, HI, 96707

  Registry ID: 110014055501

• WAIMANALO GULCH SANITARY LANDFILL

  92-460 FARRINGTON HIGHWAY, KAPOLEI, HI, 96707

  Registry ID: 110014055501

Statutes cited

• CWA 301/402 — NPDES Permit Violations

Enforcement conclusions (2)

• Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill AO 11/29/2011entered 2012-05-30

  Primary law: CWA

• Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill AO 11/29/2011entered 2011-11-29

  Primary law: CWA

Timeline (2 milestones)

• 2011-12-15Enforcement Action Data Entered
• 2012-05-30Final Order Issued