A standing-room-only crowd of residents voiced concerns about a proposed leach field at Kapueokahi, or Hana Bay, during a community meeting Thursday.

The meeting, organized by county Department of Parks and Recreation Director Ka’ala Buenconsejo, was intended to gather input from residents about much-needed improvements to the septic system on the grounds near Helene Hall, a community center with four public restrooms.

Buenconsejo, other parks officials, a county engineer and a representative from the state Department of Health were on hand to answer questions.

The meeting followed a Jan. 16 County Council meeting during which the matter was addressed and referred to the Infrastructure and Environmental Management Committee chaired by Council Member Elle Cochran.

“It was a community meeting, but it was also a talk-story session,” Buenconsejo said. “We wanted to work with the community – because we are the community.”

According to longtime Hana resident John Blumer-Buell, there has been a decadeslong history of complications with the septic system at Hana Bay. The Hana community deliberately included language in the 1994 Hana Community Plan to address short- and long-term problems at the site through domestic water and wastewater system master plans for the Hana region.

However, the county came up with an alternative plan to renovate the existing cesspool at Hana Bay, in accordance with the state and federal codes.

A septic tank and leach field, or septic drain field, was proposed as the solution. If installed, the leach field would be located adjacent to the picnic pavilion on the ocean side of the county road, said Blumer-Buell.

“It’s nearly in the ocean,” he said. “Without overstating the situation, the proposed leach field is very close to the beach and ocean – without overstating the situation, sewage has no place to leach except into the tidal zone, beach and the ocean.”

Claudia Kalaola, whose family has lived in Hana for more than 20 generations, said the proposed leach field is riddled with problems – from its close proximity to the ocean to its location on culturally sensitive land.

“The area of Kapueokahi and Ka’uiki are wahi pana (legendary places),” she explained. “It is the birthplace of our Queen Ka’ahumanu, whose lineage is Namahanaikaleleonalani, her mother, and her uncles Kamehameha Nui and Kahekili – all chiefs of the highest rank. This area is the place of many battles between those trying to invade Hana and its chiefs. This area is also where the sacred spring Punahoa flows into the ocean. Punahoa is referred to in chants as the ‘ewe (birthplace) that gave life to our chiefs, and continues to give life to Hana and its people.”

A leach field also would present a significant threat to the natural ecosystem, she said.

“The fact that the septic aerobic leaching system would not filter out nitrates that would kill our papa (reefs) and our native limu would be choked out replaced by alien species,” said Kalaola. “Therefore, no papa, no limu, no i’a (fish) . . . our sustainable lifestyle gone.”

She also noted that the proposed system would not filter out pharmaceuticals, thereby contaminating coastal waters.

“Medications from every person using the facilities would be in our bay,” she said.

But where things really went wrong, Blumer-Buell said, is when the county did not hold a public meeting to request community input before it moved forward with the project. Even worse, he said, the proposed leach field was passed and funded – permits were issued and bids were contracted – without ever receiving the green light from residents.

“Hana residents found out ’round about,’ ” he said. “The county went ahead and signed a contract to proceed. . . . This led to talk of ‘a done deal.’ “

In April 2013, an appropriation of $165,000 was set aside for the parks department to make improvements to Helene Hall, and in October 2014, the project was put out to bid.

“On November 21, I heard about the leach field going in,” said Kalaola.

Once residents caught wind of the project, a flurry of emails, letters and petitions were sent off to the county. On one petition, Kalaola said, “We got 1,600-plus signatures opposing the leach field.”

Eventually, the issue was addressed at the Jan. 16 council meeting.

Buenconsejo said he immediately put the brakes on the project and scheduled the community meeting that was held Thursday.

While there may have been missteps in the past, Buenconsejo said, he’s determined to make things right – even if it means starting from scratch.

“We wanted to take a step back and hear the concerns of the community,” he said. “Even if it puts us back to square one . . . which it has.”

Until a solution is reached, he said, “the project is on hold. We are back to the planning stages now.”

Last week’s public meeting was the first chance for Hana residents to meet with county and state officials face to face, said Blumer-Buell, and many were grateful for the opportunity to have their voices heard.

At the meeting, Kalaola said, a clear consensus emerged: “Hana does not want a leach field at Kapueokahi.” It was designed as a quick fix, she said, “Not a solution to the larger long-term picture – a wastewater plan for East Maui.”

The proposed leach field has become a hot-button issue that has impacted the Hana community, said Blumer-Buell.

“The situation has created a lot of unwarranted and unnecessary stress and conflict,” he said. “The County of Maui and elected officials simply have not addressed, implemented and funded many important parts of the Hana Community Plan.”

Buenconsejo acknowledged that there are many unanswered questions.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have all of the answers right now,” he said. “In the meantime, we will do what we can for the Hana community and work with the engineer to find the best solution.”

He said the county’s engineer is researching other alternatives, as well as other sites for a septic system.

“There are really only three options at the moment,” said Buenconsejo. “A cesspool, a leach field or a wastewater treatment facility, which would be costly, and Hana Bay may not be able to accommodate something that size. But we’ll see what the engineer comes up with and then we will come back to the community with new information.”

Until then, one practical short-term solution is the use of portable toilets, said Blumer-Buell, who noted that portable toilets have been used for high-volume special events, such as the annual canoe regatta and the East Maui Taro Festival.

Kalaola agreed. “The immediate solution will be to close the bathrooms and put in portables, (and) the bathrooms should be upgraded,” she said.

As for what the county can do to solve this problem in the long term, Blumer-Buell said it should implement the domestic water and wastewater system master plans outlined in the Hana Community Plan.

“Work with the community, not in a vacuum,” he said. “The ‘big-picture’ issues could very well lead to the county – and the taxpayers – being left with large fines.”

Buenconsejo said he would present the concerns expressed in Thursday’s community meeting to members of the council’s Infrastructure and Environmental Management Committee. That meeting is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday in the eighth-floor Council Chambers of the Kalana O Maui Building.

“We are not going to put a Band-Aid on it,” he said. “We are going to do this right.”

* Sarah Ruppenthal can be reached at sruppenthal@mauinews.com.