Honua Ola Bioenergy is committed to addressing community concerns. When false claims are made that misrepresent the project and create baseless concern, we cannot allow them to go unchecked. Read on to learn the truth about misinformation regarding Honua Ola’s water usage in generating clean, renewable energy.
Newsletter: False Claims vs. Facts Water Usage
Know the Facts!
FACT: False. The discharged water is not contaminated, nor will it affect the environment or people. More than 99.8% of the water will be taken from an underground saltwater source and used to cool and condense the steam from the turbine before the water is returned to the saltwater reservoir through deep underground injection control wells. Less than 0.2% of non-potable water used will be treated with negligible amounts of non-harmful additives following approved best practices. These additives do not contain any active ingredients on the list of hazardous substances in the Clean Water Act regulated by the EPA. All of the water, 100%, will come from non-drinking water sources.
FACT: False. Honua Ola will draw water from the saltwater aquifer through 1,200-foot-deep wells and circulate it in a closed system for cooling, like a car radiator. After cooling, the water is then sent back into the saltwater aquifer. The recirculated water will be within one-degree centigrade of the ocean water when it seeps into the ocean and will not harm the marine environment. This process is carefully regulated by the Department of Health.
FACT: This claim is false in many ways. On November 9, 2018, water used to wash out recently retrofitted boiler parts was discharged by a non-employee without authorization from Honua Ola. Some of the water went onto the ground, and a smaller amount ran down to the ocean shore. Once management was alerted, the discharge was quickly stopped. Honua Ola immediately reported the incident to the Department of Health, which determined the discharge was non-toxic, did not pose any threat to public health, and acknowledged that Honua Ola did not authorize the discharge.