Renewable Energy Conversion & Sludge Processing at the Wailuku-Kahului Wastewater ...

365 Pages·2017·52.73 MB·English

Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Renewable Energy Conversion and Sludge
Processing for the Wailuku - Kahului Wastewater
Reclamation Facility (WKWWRF)
281 Amala Place
Kahului, Maui, Hawaii

Prepared for:

County of Maui
Department of Environmental Management
Prepared by:

December 2017

This Draft EIS and all ancillary documents were prepared under my direction or
supervision and the information submitted, to the best of my knowledge, fully
addresses the document content requirements as set forth in Hawaii Administrative
Rules, Sections 11-200-17 and 11-200-18, as appropriate.
Project Summary
Project Name: Renewable Energy Conversion and Sludge Processing for
the Wailuku - Kahului Wastewater Reclamation Facility
(WKWWRF)
Type of Document: Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Legal Authority: Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 343 and Hawaii
Administrative Rules, Chapter 200, Title 11
Agency Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Determination:
Applicable Use of State or County lands or use of State or County
Environmental Funds
Assessment Review
Triggers: Use of any land classified as conservation district by the
state land use commission under Chapter 205, HRS
Use within a shoreline area as defined in Section 205A‐41,
HRS
Propose any:
A. Wastewater treatment unit, except an individual
wastewater system or a wastewater treatment unit
serving fewer than fifty single family dwellings or the
equivalent
B. Waste‐to‐energy facility
Applicant: Maui All-Natural Alternative (MANA)
5870 Fleet Street, Suite 301
Carlsbad, California, 92008
Contact: Jeff Walsh
Phone: [phone]
Accepting Department of Environmental Management
Authority: County of Maui
2050 Main Street, Suite 2B
Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii 96793
Contact: Stewart Stant, Director
Phone: [phone]
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Project Location: County of Maui, Wailuku-Kahului Wastewater Reclamation
Facility
281 Amala Place
Kahului, Maui, Hawaii 96732
TMK: (2) 3-8-001:188 (portion)
Project Purpose and The County of Maui desires to supplant existing fossil fuel
Need: generated electricity at its WKWWRF with locally sourced,
renewable energy for the community. In addition, the
County of Maui seeks an outcome that reduces wastewater
sludge (biosolids) management costs. The County of Maui
issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to address these
needs and engaged the applicant as a result of the RFP.
Project Summary: The preferred alternative involves the installation of an
anaerobic digester and associated appurtenances at the
WKWWRF in Kahului, which will anaerobically digest
energy crops grown on former Hawaiian Commercial &
Sugar (HC&S) plantation lands and sourced locally from
Central Maui Feedstocks, LLC. The product of the
anaerobic digestion process is methane in the form of
biogas, entirely captured within the anaerobic digester, that
is then treated on-site and used to fuel a combined heat
and power (CHP) engine for electrical power generation.
The electricity produced will be used to operate the
WKWWRF.
Waste heat from the CHP, combined with additional
biogas, will provide the required heat for the drying of the
municipally generated wastewater biosolids produced on
Maui. A small amount of propane may be used for drying
process stabilization.
Remaining organic matter from the anaerobic digestion
process (digestate) will be utilized as a soil amendment on
the agricultural lands used for energy crop cultivation. This
will benefit the crop by adding organic matter back to the
soil and nutrients in the digestate will reduce or eliminate
the need for conventional fertilizer inputs.
Description of the Since the project site is located entirely within the
Affected WKWWRF property and more specifically, between
Environment: existing structures in the WKWWRF, impacts to the local
environment are not anticipated to be appreciable. Where
there are anticipated impacts to the existing soils, flora and
fauna, visual, air quality, and noise environments,
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engineering Best Management Practices will be employed
to minimize impacts that may result.
In addition, impacts to the socio-economic conditions,
infrastructure, utility systems, and public services are also
not anticipated to be significant. Project implementation
will result in positive impacts related to enhanced
wastewater treatment, renewable energy, the injection of
private development into the local economy, and moderate
job growth.
The project will also result in former sugarcane lands being
returned to agricultural production to meet the demand for
digester feedstock.

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Table of Contents
Project Summary ................................................................................................................ i
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. iv
Appendices .................................................................................................................... vi
List of Figures ................................................................................................................ vii
List of Tables ................................................................................................................. vii
List of Acronyms Used .................................................................................................. viii
Chapter 1: Project Overview ............................................................................................. 1
Project Location .............................................................................................................. 1
Project Need/Basis ......................................................................................................... 3
Project Procurement ....................................................................................................... 5
Project Description ......................................................................................................... 5
Chapter 343, HRS Compliance ...................................................................................... 8
Permitting Requirements ...............................................................................................11
Project Schedule ...........................................................................................................12
Project Cost ...................................................................................................................12
Chapter 2: Description of the Environmental Setting ...................................................... 13
Physical Environment ....................................................................................................13
Land Use ................................................................................................................................. 13
Climate .................................................................................................................................... 15
Geology and Site Topology ..................................................................................................... 16
Soils .................................................................................................................................... 18
Wetlands and Streams ............................................................................................................ 22
Natural Hazards ....................................................................................................................... 25
Flora and Fauna ...................................................................................................................... 29
Groundwater and Surface Water Resources .......................................................................... 31
Archaeological and Historic Resources ................................................................................... 33
Cultural Resources .................................................................................................................. 34
Visual Resources ..................................................................................................................... 36
Air Quality ................................................................................................................................ 38
Noise .................................................................................................................................... 40
Odor .................................................................................................................................... 41
Socio-Economic Characteristics ....................................................................................42
Population ................................................................................................................................ 42
Housing .................................................................................................................................... 43
Economy .................................................................................................................................. 44
Employment ............................................................................................................................. 44
Infrastructure .................................................................................................................45
Airport .................................................................................................................................... 45
Harbor .................................................................................................................................... 46
Roadways and Traffic .............................................................................................................. 46
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Public Transit ........................................................................................................................... 49
Drainage .................................................................................................................................. 49
Utilities ..........................................................................................................................51
Electrical System ..................................................................................................................... 51
Water System .......................................................................................................................... 52
Wastewater System ................................................................................................................. 52
Solid Waste System ................................................................................................................ 53
Communications System ......................................................................................................... 53
Public Services and Facilities ........................................................................................54
Schools .................................................................................................................................... 54
Police, Fire, and Medical Facilities .......................................................................................... 54
Recreational Park Facilities ..................................................................................................... 55
Chapter 3: Relationship of the Proposed Action to Land Use Plans, Policies, and Controls
for the Affected Area ............................................................................................. 56
Hawaii State Plan ..........................................................................................................56
State Land Use, Chapter 205, Hawaii Revised Statutes ................................................61
Coastal Zone Management, Chapter 205A, Hawaii Revised Statutes............................65
Maui County General Plan .............................................................................................72
Maui County Countywide Policy Plan ............................................................................73
Maui Island Plan ............................................................................................................75
Wailuku-Kahului Community Plan ..................................................................................76
Maui County Zoning ......................................................................................................82
Chapter 4: Cumulative and Secondary Impacts .............................................................. 83
Chapter 5: Summary of Unavoidable Environmental Impacts ......................................... 84
Chapter 6: Alternatives to the Proposed Action .............................................................. 86
Background and Summary: ...........................................................................................86
Assessment of Alternatives: ..........................................................................................90
Chapter 7: Summary of Permanent and Lasting Commitment of Resources ................ 104
Chapter 8: Relationship between Short-term Uses of Environmental Resources and Long-
term Productivity ................................................................................................. 105
Chapter 9: Unresolved Issues ....................................................................................... 106
Chapter 10: List of Anticipated Permits and Approvals ................................................. 107
Chapter 11: Agencies, Organizations, and Individuals Consulted ................................. 108
Chapter 12: References ................................................................................................ 115

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Appendices
Appendix A Preliminary Design Drawings 118
Appendix B Letters Signifying EIS Accepting Authority 124
Appendix C Biological Survey and Assessment 136
Appendix D Archaeological History 154
Appendix E Cultural Impact Assessment 162
Appendix F Air Quality, Odor, and Climate Change Impact Assessment 179
Appendix G Preliminary Drainage Analysis 220
Comment Letters Received Following Publication of the EISPN
Appendix H 231
and Responses
Appendix I MOA Lease County of Maui and MANA 346

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