LIHUE — Over 20,000 gallons of sewage sludge overflowed from the Lihue Wastewater Treatment Plant early Thursday morning. The digested sludge was in the process of being transferred to a drying bed a little after midnight when the sludge overtopped
LIHUE — Over 20,000 gallons of sewage sludge overflowed from the Lihue Wastewater Treatment Plant early Thursday morning.
The digested sludge was in the process of being transferred to a drying bed a little after midnight when the sludge overtopped the drying bed and flowed into the channel, according to a release from the Department of Public Works.
The sludge was contained about 3:30 a.m., according to the release. It did not reach the ocean or other bodies of water, and the spill did not occur where there is public access.
Wastewater Management Division personnel was on site Thursday afternoon to clean up the spill.
Cleanup efforts included using vacuum equipment to remove sludge from the affected area followed by disinfection of the affected area with chlorine.
State Department of Health officials were notified of the spill.
DOH protocols requires counties to submit a written report on the spill within five working days of the incident, said Janice Okubo, DOH spokeswoman.
