The state Health Department said this morning it has ordered Maui Land & Pineapple Co. to pay a penalty of $230,000 for 15 wastewater effluent violations from the Haliimaile waste stabilization ponds on the Valley Isle. The company must also build a new wastewater treatment plant.

“The treatment plant has been unable to comply with state requirements that prevent serious damage to our environment and protect our coastal waters and drinking water,” said Sina Pruder, chief of the department’s wastewater branch, in a news release. “The department will continue to work with Maui Land & Pineapple to develop alternative wastewater treatment options to serve the community without compromising our precious natural resources.”

Maui Land & Pineapple may request a hearing to contest the alleged violations and penalties.

The plant is made up of two, unlined waste stabilization ponds and three disposal leach fields, according to the state, which serves about 173 single-family homes in Haliimaile town, the Haliimaile General Store and Maui Pines Baseyard, according to the Health Department.

On April 14, 2016, state officials conducted an inspection of the Haliimaile waste stabilization ponds and issued an informal notice to ML&P for 12 effluent violations occurring from May 2015 to February 2016. At that time, Maui Land & Pineapple was ordered to correct the violations, with no fines or penalties, health officials said.

But during a follow-up inspection last year on June 26, state officials found the wastewater treatment plant had not complied, with 15 effluent violations that occurred from June 2017 to May 2018, they said.

According to it’s website, Maui Land & Pineapple is a landholding and operating company with about 22,000 acres on Maui that includes its Kapalua Resort community. The company also owns and manages the 8,304-acre Pu‘u Kukui Watershed Preserve.