Honolulu, EPA Reach Water Pact

Honolulu and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have announced a proposed consent decree that would end long-running litigation over the city’s wastewater system, Mayor Mufi Hannemann said Monday.

The agreement is likely to lead to ramped-up capital spending to improve sewer systems on Oahu.

The proposed agreement would create extended, phased construction schedules for upgrading two major wastewater plants, and to upgrade major wastewater collection system pipes, pump stations, and gravity sewers, according to the mayor’s office.

Hannemann said the proposed consent decree is supported by the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, which have agreed to end the lawsuit they filed against Honolulu in 2004 if the agreement is approved by the City Council.

“With long scheduling horizons and termination of the lawsuits and enforcement actions, we can assure our bond raters and ratepayers that we can prudently plan and finance improvements over time,” the mayor said in a statement.

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