Why must private businessmen pay for basic public sanitation?Thank you for your timely coverage of the Pump Don’t Dump program’s progress (May 29–June 4 issue). Mike Moran and the Pump Don’t Dump Coalition’s tireless efforts on behalf of our island should be commended. It is certainly good news that Everett Dowling has agreed to fund a pumping station at the Kihei Harbor, and that our DLNR district officer found a statute that allows for the private financing of small harbor improvements. The situation, however, begs a larger question. Why did the county drop the ball? Should it really be necessary for community groups to appeal to private businessmen to fund matters of basic public sanitation? Pump Don’t Dump has been touting the same simple message since 2002: “We don’t want to swim in feces.”
They want serious, enforceable laws that stop vessels from dumping, and they want infrastructure that supports the law.
These are not unreasonable requests. What is unreasonable is that we allowed—and still allow—one of our greatest resources to fall victim to bad business and poor governance. Your article explains that the current pumping program only has enough funding to last through 2008. A timeline for the new pump station is waiting on the county’s participation. We shouldn’t have to wait any longer. Maui County should treat this issue with urgency and allocate the Pump Don’t Dump program the funding it deserves.