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Memo from State
Water Quality Standards
Legislative News Report - August 1970 (Nan Lowers & Alice Scott)
News from the Environmental Study Committee
Analysis of Ballot Issue - Constitutional Amendment: BOE
National Program

Water Quality Standards

In January, 1968 the State Department of Health adopted WATER QUALITY STANDARDS and control regulations that met with the approval of the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration. The League likes to think we were influential in helping formulate those regulations after months of attending hearings. Now we need to be influential in helping enforce those standards. Unfortunately the State government through the Department of Health has been slow to act; permits to polluters have yet to be issued; abatement schedules have passed with no action taken. In this political year it would be timely to remind our congressional delegation of the States lack of progress. Please take pen in hand and fire a letter, postcard, or note to Senators Hiram Fong. and Daniel Inouye; and to Representatives Patsy Mink and Spark Matsunaga. Federal inquiry may light a fuse under the State.

Here are a few questions to start you off:

  1. The State of Hawaii adopted a time implementation plan in 1967 with the approval of the Federal government.
    Why hasn’t the Federal government taken any action against dischargers who have defaulted on the time schedule?
    -60 million gallons of raw sewage goes into the Pacific daily off Sand Island.

  2. Why has the Federal government continued to subsidize ($65-70,000 a year) a State program which has not enforced its own standards?
    -"Parents should keep their children away from and out of all Oahu streams. The water is polluted."
    -Peter Sakai, Chief of the State Sanitary Engineering Department -Wednesday, July 19, 1970

  3. Concerning the HEW Audit of the State -Department of Health Pollution Program
    - it was the understanding of the League that the money was given to expand the water pollution control program with positions. Since the positions have not been filled, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MONEY?

  4. The Federal government has conducted some surveys on sugar planters and on Pearl Harbor.
    Why haven't these reports been released to the public?
    Why hasn’t the Federal government followed up the findings of the report with corrective action?


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