Mayor Responds to Committee Vote on Lahaina Injection Well Case

Mayor Michael Victorino expressed his disappointment in a County Council committeeʻs decision to settle the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility injection well case.

According to Victorino, the Governance, Ethics, and Transparency Committee did not consider his settlement proposal before voting to withdraw from the Supreme Courtʻs review on Friday.

“Discussion of my proposed settlement offer needed to be in a closed executive session, outside of the hearing of opposing counsel in this case,” Victorino said today in a press release.

“I question the decision by some council members not to even consider my proposal.”

Victorino stated that the 9th Circuit Courtʻs ruling to expand the Clean Water Act could have “severe” effects on Mauiʻs “already tight housing market.”

“For county and private projects, we are now looking at costly and possibly unattainable permits, adding expense and uncertainty. Our recycled water program, which uses this very same water on land, could be in jeopardy,” Victorino added.

“People already worried about the cost of cesspool conversion at some future date may now have to do that much sooner, and septic systems in certain areas will likely not be options because they violate the Clean Water Act under the 9th Circuit’s decision.”

The resolution is now headed to the full council for a vote.