Residents concerned with 'suspicious' discharge from Pride of America

**Ally** · 08-04-2007, 07:14 AM

Allegations surrounding Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America dumping "suspicious" water into Kailua Bay Wednesday morning prompted an investigation by the state Clean Water Branch.

West Hawaii Today received numerous calls from Hawaii Island residents claiming the 2,100-passenger cruise ship discharged "brownish water" they believed to be sewage. There were also multiple reports of odor, feces and debris floating in the ocean.

NCL Corporation in Miami said the Pride of America was following a normal "routine" procedure.

“This was the ship bringing up the port anchor and while doing so, washing it down with salt water from the bay," said AnneMarie Matthews, public relations director for NCL Corporation. "This is a routine, normal part of getting a ship under way from anchorage. Every ship washes down their anchor and chain every time, washing off any mud the chain and anchor might have collected."

Asked why someone might see "brownish water," Matthews responded, "It could be the mud that was being washed off the anchor."

An environmental engineer from the state Clean Water Branch discussed Wednesday's activity with the ship's engineer, who claimed the Pride of America was either testing its fire pumps or cleaning its anchor. Fire pump testing and the use of harbor water was later confirmed, said Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the Hawaii Department of Health.

A photograph showing water being dumped from the vessel's front was dismissed as effluent discharge evidence since the Pride of America only dumps treated sewage from the center to back of the ship and closer to the water line. All discharge is logged on a computer system and only two staff members have the ability to discharge any wastewater from the ship, Okubo said.

As for the "brownish water," Okubo said it is not unusual for large ships to stir up the bottom with their propulsion system, making the water around the vessels brown.

Still local observers of the incident are skeptical.

Kailua-Kona resident Jewel Moore was on phone at 10 a.m., speaking to customers at Huggo's, when they suddenly became concerned about a discharge by the Pride of America. Her customers described "brown water gushing out of the cruise ship." There was also a mention of "yellow sea foam around the boat." She claimed there were at least five to 10 eyewitnesses at the restaurant alone.

Moore reported the incident to the state Department of Health. She said an employee later informed her that water samples would be taken Thursday, mostly because of lack of transportation.

"When I heard this weak explanation, my first reaction was 'Oh, my gosh.' Basically the state is not immediately acting on this incident -- a potentially dangerous dumping -- because of a ride," Moore said. "This is really lame. People's livelihood depends on these waters."

Okubo could not confirm if water samples would be taken Thursday or if the employee's explanation was true. She stressed the importance of getting employees' names and reporting all concerns to supervisors or the Department of Health.

Kailua-Kona resident Polly Taguiped was driving down Henry Street around 10:15 a.m. when she noticed the Pride of America discharging brown water at both ends of the ship.

"It wasn't a trickle; it was full force for at least 15 to 20 minutes. I kept thinking, 'What are they doing so close to shore?'" Taguiped said. "They're not getting rid of drinking water. That's for sure. The only water a ship would want to get rid of is polluted water, which could possibly kill our beloved fish and coral, even harm people. This isn't right. These boats should not be allowed to dump and pollute our relatively clean waters."

Kailua-Kona resident Lenore Hunter was "upset" and "alarmed" when her 20-year-old son said he spent the afternoon boogie boarding in "feces, poop and brown swirls" floating in the ocean, fronting Old Kona Airport. Hunter and her son claim the "really gross debris" came from the Pride of America.

While swimming laps off shore of Laaloa Beach Park around 1:30 p.m., Kailua-Kona resident Laurel Muehlhausen noticed an "unpleasant odor" and "little bits of stuff resembling toilet paper" floating in the ocean. As Muehlhausen swam south, she reportedly found "more debris dispersed evenly in the water," which prompted an early end to her daily swim.

"I couldn't say whether the odor and debris is from a ship or a cracked sewer line on Alii Drive," Muehlhausen said. "Whatever it comes from, it needs to be corrected. People swim in these waters every day. Their safety and that of the environment is important. These waters are Class AA waters, meaning they should be pristine and protected."

All Hawaii state waters are classified as Class A or Class AA. Class A waters have strict pollution discharge regulations to protect them for recreational and aesthetic enjoyment. Class AA waters have regulations against discharge to protect the waters in a natural pristine state with an absolute minimum pollution or alteration of water quality from any human-cause source or action, according to the state Department of Health.

The Legislature enacted in 2005 a cruise ship control law, Act 217, regulating discharges of sewage, wastewater, air emissions and the offloading of solid and hazardous waste from cruise ships. It prohibits such discharges up to three miles off shore.

Cruise ships are also bound by a 2002 Memorandum of Understanding signed between the state and nonprofit North West Cruise Ship Association, representing nine cruise lines, including NCL. The memorandum is based on trust rather than law. It is a voluntary approach to environmental regulation.

Member lines agree not to discharge waste in the sensitive Hawaii Marine Area, comprised of those waters between the shoreline and any point 4 nautical miles beyond waters that are 600 feet deep (the 100 fathom contour line). Hawaii jurisdiction extends only three miles from land. U.S. Coast Guard has federal jurisdiction over environmental matters.

The state allows ships with advanced wastewater treatment systems to discharge highly treated and disinfected wastewater within the Hawaii Marine Area beyond a nautical mile off shore and while traveling at six knots or more.

(West Hawaii Today)