{"id":1580,"date":"2026-06-19T11:05:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T11:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1580"},"modified":"2026-06-19T11:05:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T11:05:33","slug":"city-breaks-ground-on-85m-upgrades-at-kailua-wastewater-treatment-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1580","title":{"rendered":"City breaks ground on $85M upgrades at Kailua wastewater treatment plant"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – An $85 million plan to upgrade critical infrastructure at the Kailua Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant broke ground Thursday.<\/p>\n

Read more Parking rates increase at Honolulu airport<\/a><\/p>\n

The first project will build a $61 million dewatering building to remove excess water from sludge prior to its disposal or reuse, demolish the existing building and infrastructure, and install a new odor control system.<\/p>\n

A second $23 million project will renovate two biotowers, which use microorganisms to break down contaminants in wastewater before discharge.<\/p>\n

The repairs were ordered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after wastewater discharges off Kailua in 2023 contained high bacteria levels, with readings more than six times the allowable limit in some cases.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere was a mechanical failure actually in one of the bio towers (in 2023),\u201d said Roger Babcock, Honolulu Department of Environmental Services director. \u201cSo they\u2019re going to be completely gutted, all new internals put inside there, all the equipment, everything that happens inside that tank, including all its finishes, rehabilitate the concrete and make sure everything\u2019s back to new.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more What Hawaii can learn from Super Typhoon Sinlaku<\/a><\/p>\n

The projects are part of a broader program to replace the plant\u2019s aging infrastructure. An $11 million UV disinfection system installed last year is \u201cworking really, really well,\u201d Babcock said.<\/p>\n

The plant provides wastewater treatment services for the Kailua and Kaneohe communities. It has experienced numerous wastewater spills, including during March\u2019s Kona low storms. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t glamorous work,\u201d said Jenn Boneza, Department of Environmental Services public information officer. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to see this on any travel guide, but every family in Kailua and Kaneohe will benefit from this every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Shelter in place or evacuate? How to increase your chances for survival in a hurricane<\/a><\/p>\n

Construction on both projects is expected to be finished in early 2029.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The plant provides wastewater treatment services for the Kailua and Kaneohe communities, and has been undergoing a series of upgrades to replace aging infrastructure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCity breaks ground on $85M upgrades at Kailua wastewater treatment plant - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1580\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"City breaks ground on $85M upgrades at Kailua wastewater treatment plant - 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