District 44 Updates

U.S. EPA orders immediate cleanup and needed controls at Waimanalo Gulch Landfill

Release date: 01/25/2011
Contact Information: Dean Higuchi, 808-541-2711, higuchi.dean@epa.gov

(01/25/11) HONOLULU – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued an order to Waste Management, Inc., with the company agreeing to take immediate steps to clean up recent releases of waste and contaminated stormwater and prevent future releases from the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill on Oahu.

Waste Management is the contractor operating the landfill for the City and County of Honolulu. On January 12 and 13, heavy rains caused extreme flooding at the landfill. A section of the landfill’s property filled with stormwater, causing waste to be released and resulting in beach contamination and beach closures.

“This catastrophic failure subjected Hawaii’s residents, visitors and coastal waters to a deluge of contaminated runoff, medical waste, and other trash. Our order requires immediate cleanup, continued monitoring of the beaches, and enhanced controls for stormwater runoff,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “EPA is working closely with the Hawaii Department of Health to prevent future incidents and protect residents’ health and the environment.”

EPA promptly dispatched an emergency responder and engineers to assist the Hawaii Department of Health and the City and County of Honolulu with the response at the landfill. The response included monitoring ocean water and any water released from the landfill, stabilization of the site, and cleanup of waste from the landfill that reached nearby beaches.

The EPA Administrative Order sets a specific schedule with milestones to protect the environment and the public. The order requires the company to stop discharges to the ocean of stormwater currently being held at the landfill, continue daily beach inspections and cleanup, and improve the landfill’s stormwater diversion and sediment control to successfully handle runoff from rain events. The company must also report immediately to EPA any event that has the potential to cause a violation of the order.

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Opening Day of Legislative Session 2011

Thank you everyone for all your support! 

We get'em!!

Morehouse College Project: IMHOTEP Scholarship 2011

Are you a modern day Polymath??


Applications are available at
http://stdapp.morehouse.edu:8080/imhotep/

Deadline is January 31, 2011 (requirements and eligibility below)

Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Southeast Asians, and Other Underrepresented Asian Americans Application Deadline: January 31, 2011

The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are providing four scholarships to qualified Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Southeast Asian and other underrepresented Asian American undergraduates (juniors and seniors) and recent graduates (class of 2010) for the Project: IMHOTEP internship program for summer of 2011. APIAHF is working with community partners to promote Project: IMHOTEP as part of their efforts to increase the number of NHPI, and Southeast Asian public health and health care professionals. Applicants who are not selected for this scholarship are still eligible for the general selection process by Morehouse College. 

pursuing careers in public health, with particular focus in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Occupational Safety & Health. Interns gain valuable experience in conducting public health research with health professionals at the CDC. The program is open to students with a major/minor in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, and any health related science.

Background: Project: IMHOTEP is designed for underrepresented minority students who are interested in

ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER

AMERICAN

HEALTH FORUM

APIA

Requirements:

Applicant must be a Junior, Senior or Recent

Graduate student with a cumulative grade point

average (GPA) of 2.7 or better.

Dates of Program:

May 23rd through August 10, 2011

A Financial Stipend,Travel Allowance and

Housing Will Be Provided.

Locations:

Anchorage, AK ; Atlanta, GA; Cincinnati, OH;

Hyattsville, MD; Morgantown, WV; Pittsburgh,

PA; Spokane,WA; Tanzania, East Africa;

Washington, DC.

The Following Materials Must Be Submitted:

• Complete Online Application

• Recommendation forms completed by two

recommenders

• All official transcripts (mailed directly from

Registrar’s office)

Online Application:

http://stdapp.morehouse.edu:8080/imhotep/

Contact:

NHPI Affairs

Phone: (415) 568-3306

tvee@apiahf.orgTaunuu Ve’e

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE PROJECT: IMHOTEP Scholarship