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Maui County loses federal appeal over wastewater disposal

WAILUKU >> Maui officials are reviewing their legal options after the county lost its appeal to a ruling that its use of wastewater injection wells violates the federal Clean Water Act.

The Maui News reports the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on Thursday upheld the 2014 Hawaii court ruling on Maui County’s use of the wells at the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility.

The environmental law organization Earthjustice sued the county in 2012 on behalf of Maui community groups, claiming discharge from the sewage treatment facility in West Maui was damaging coral reefs off Kahekili Beach.

County Department of Environmental Management officials say they are reviewing the order, and the department will continue to “aggressively pursue recycled water reuse as a primary goal.”

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