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Nov 08, 2023

Wastewater released from Joint Base Pearl Harbor

About 14,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater was released from the Joint

About 14,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater was released from the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Waste Water Treatment Plant today after a power outage on base.

The Navy in a news release today said that at around 11:45 a.m. the joint base experienced an "electrical power spike," resulting in the treatment plant being without power for about 2 minutes.

The outage interrupted the ultraviolet disinfection of the wastewater for a few minutes. The Navy said the disinfection is the fourth and final step of the plant's wastewater treatment.

The water is discharged into the Mamala Bay through a deep ocean outfall about one-and-a-half miles from shore.

The treatment plant uses a biological treatment process, settling tanks, sand filtration and UV disinfection to treat wastewater. The Navy said the four-step process is one more than most wastewater treatment plants use.

The Navy has notified the state Department of Health of the release.

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