Thanks for the “Water Waste” editorial in last week’s issue. In working with South Maui Sustainability to establish a community garden in Kihei, and of course wanting to use reclaimed “R1” water if possible, Steve Parabicoli, Maui County Water Recycling Program coordinator, was very helpful. He said we’d need a permit from them to grow food with it, and that shouldn’t be a problem. But, he said we’d also need a permit from the state Health Department. He said they’d need to upgrade the UV disinfection process before they would issue a permit that would allow this water to be used to irrigate food crops. This upgrade is planned for the South Maui plant, but is a few years away.
I’ve since talked to Steve’s boss, Greg Kresge, and he said it would cost millions to do that upgrade. And it seems likely that “emergency” infrastructure work could keep pushing that item back on the agenda. So, even though extending the lines for that plant all the way south would be great for watering golf courses and “tropical” South Maui, it’s not so good for growing food at this time.
If the county is serious about supporting people growing their own food—and they have indicated that they are—and also making the best use of the R1 water currently being pumped into injection wells and ultimately damaging the reefs, then this would be a step to show they are serious.
Maury King
Kihei