There are many actions you can take today to improve life downstream of your wastewater stream. Below please find ways to contact decision makers, choose a reef-safe sunscreen, support local projects, upgrade your cesspool and learn more about ocean health. Be a water warrior -- take all the actions!
Sign petitions to improve wastewater disposal methods
Please take a moment to sign all of these water waste related petitions working toward change in Maui.
Sign a Petition
Please take a moment to sign all of these water waste related petitions working toward change in Maui.
Fund and Implement 100% municipal wastewater reuse in Maui Island, Hawaii
The County of Maui injects millions of gallons per day of wastewater into nearshore injection wells in Kihei, Lahaina and Kahului. This practice seriously harms nearshore reef ecosystems, and creates hazards for protected aquatic human uses such as swimming and surfing. The County of Maui should implement 100% municipal wastewater reuse, to restore reefs and lessen the harmful impacts on protected nearshore activities.
Sign Petition
Sign this Change.org petition for 100% disinfection in Kahului & Kihei
Voice your support to implement UV disinfection of wastewater injected in Kahului & Kihei
Sign Petition
Sign this Change.org petition for wastewater Upgrades in Maui
Maui's reefs are in trouble. Wastewater systems commonly employ outdated technology like injection well and cesspool disposal methods.
Sign Petition
Sign this Change.org petition to create a Maui County Reuse Parks Program
Encourage the County of Maui to create a Municipal Reuse Park Program for 100% reuse
Sign Petition
List Your Water Quality Petition on FlushAware
Contact Reef Power LLC to list your water quality petition on FlushAware.
Contact Reef Power LLC
Support a new Maui County law requiring disinfection of all municipal wastewater discharges
As of 2016, the County of Maui disinfected all municipal wastewater discharges, which prevented harmful pathogens in human waste from flowing into nearshore recreation areas like Cove Park in Kihei. Then, in 2017 and 2018, they stopped disinfection of injection well discharges from the Kihei and Kahului Wastewater Reclamation Facilities. Maui County Council Member Kelly King is proposing a new law to require disinfection of all municipal wastewater discharges in Maui Island. Please sign this petition today to support this new law, and attend a County Council hearing on March 4 to testify in support of disinfection.
Sign Petition
Advocate for a Wastewater Disinfection Bill like Maui's Across Oahu and Hawai'i
We have the power to reduce the risk of infections by emulating good practices. Maui County has recently passed Bill 52, which mandates municipal wastewater disinfection and ensures that municipal effluent meets Hawai'i State Department of Health R-1 reuse water standards starting from January 1, 2039. It is a step towards a healthier and safer future.
It is time to push for similar legislation across the City and County of Honolulu - or even better, statewide across Hawai'i. To enact this change, we need the CCH Council and Mayor, or state legislators and Governor, to pass legislation like Bill 52 and to allocate sufficient funding for the implementation of this essential wastewater disinfection treatment.
Email decisionmakers to improve wastewater disposal methods
Here is an easy way to express your wishes to elected officials, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Hawaii State Department of Health, using these quick links to send an email or complete a contact form. Bookmark this page to always have the attention of decisionmakers at your fingertips for all issues, not just water waste!
Email Your Representative
Here is an easy way to express your wishes to elected officials, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Hawaii State Department of Health, using these quick links to send an email or complete a contact form. Bookmark this page to always have the attention of decisionmakers at your fingertips for all issues, not just water waste!
Email Maui County Council Members
Send Email
Email Maui County Mayor Richard T. Bissen Jr.
Send Email
Email Hawaii State Representative Terez Amato
Send Email
Email Hawaii State Representative Elle Cochran
Send Email
Email Hawaii State Representative Justin Woodson
Send Email
Email Hawaii State Representative Kyle Yamashita
Send Email
Email Hawaii State Senator Troy Hashimoto
Send Email
Email Hawaii State Senator Angus McKelvey
Send Email
Email Hawaii State Senator Lynn Decoite
Send Email
Email Hawaii DOH Director Kenneth S. Fink, MD
Send Email
Email Hawaii DNLR Chair Dawn N. S. Chang
Send Email
Email Hawaii Governor Josh Green
Visit Website
Email United States House Representative Jill Tokuda
Visit Website
Email United States Senator Mazie Hirono
Visit Website
Email United States Senator Brian Schatz
Visit Website
Email United States President Joe Biden & Vice President Kamala Harris
Visit Website
Email Maui County Department of Enviromental Management Director Shayne Agawa P. E.
Send Email
Reduce the volume of wastewater that you generate
There are many actions you can take today to reduce your water waste footprint and minimize the impact your flushes have on life downstream.
Learn about Reducing Water Usage
The water that you use is almost completely converted to wastewater after you are done using it. The simplest way to reduce the volume of wastewater discharging into your disposal method is to reduce water usage.
There are many ways to reduce water usage:
- Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth to save up to 8 gallons of water! That saves more than 200 gallons a month.
- Upgrade to an EPA approved WaterSense toilet. The average family can reduce water used for toilets by 20 to 60 percent.
- Upgrade to an EPA approved WaterSense showerhead. Showering accounts for 17% of family water use.
- Take shorter showers. Even a one minute shorter average shower time leads to water savings that really add up.
- Upgrade to an Energy Star certified clothes washer that uses about 33% less water than regular washers, and only wash your clothes when necessary.
- Upgrade your lawn to Water-Smart landscaping by converting to native, drought-tolerant plant species. Get rid of the grass!
Choose the right sunscreen
Choosing a reef safe sunscreen might be the most important choice you make when it comes to ocean health.
Learn more about sunscreen selection
Many sunscreen products contain problematic ingredients that have been proven to directly harm reef ecosystems, even in low concentrations. In choosing a sunscreen, consider that not only will the product transfer directly into the reef ecosystem when you swim, surf or dive. Sunscreen that washes off in the shower can make its way to the ocean via injection wells and groundwater, so it is doubly important to choose reef-safe sunscreen products that do not contain any of the following ingredients:
- Benzophenone-3, also known as Oxybenzone
- Avobenzone
- Cylcopentasiloxane / Cyclomethicone
- Formaldehyde, Diazolidinyl urea, Quaternium-15
- DMDM Hydantoin and Hydroxymethylglycinate
- Homosalate
- Methylisothiazolinone
- Microbeads
- Nano particles
- Octocrylene
- Octinoxate / Octyl methoxycinnamate
- Parabens
- Phthalates
- Quaternium-15
- Retinyl Palmitate
- Sodium lauryl and laureth sulfate (SLS/SLES)
You can find reef safe products from these vendors:
- Learn more about sunscreens from the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council guide.
- View the savethereef.org sunscreen guide.
- Purchase this Maui-made, reef safe sunscreen from Raw Love.
- Purchase this reef safe sunscreen from Stream2Sea.
- Purchase this Hawaii-made, reef safe sunscreen from Kokua Sun Care.
- Purchase this Maui-made, reef safe sunscreen from HIZONE Sunshade
- Purchase this reef safe sunscreen from Project Reef.
- Purchase this kid-friendly, reef safe sunscreen made in Hawaii from Mama Kuleana
- Purchase this organic, reef-safe sunscreen made in Hawaii from AO Organics
- Purchase this kid-friendly, reef safe sunscreen made in Hawaii from Little Hands Hawaii
- Purchase this kid-friendly, reef safe sunscreen from Olen Skin Care
Support Maui projects working toward 100% reuse
Support these local projects to improve treatment levels and move toward 100% reuse in Maui.
Several Maui organizations are working on projects to improve treatment levels and move toward 100% reuse in the shortest time possible. Please learn more and contribute today!"
Contribute to Reef Power LLC
Reef Power LLC is developing an alternative to municipal injection well disposal with a limu turf scrubber to polish nutrients, coupled with a food agroforest irrigation disposal method. Learn more & make a tax-deductible donation via project sponsor Maui Nui Marine Resource Council today.
Sunshine Vetiver Solutions
Sunshine Vetiver Solutions is developing a vetiver grass based disposal system that can receive very high rates of reuse irrigation. Support the effort with a tax-deductible donation to fiscal sponsor Ridge to Reefs.
Donate to eliminate private treatment facilities and reliance upon injection wells in Ma'alaea
Reef Power LLC is working with the Ma'alaea Village Association to help realize a regional wastewater reclamation system in the region that will eliminate private injection wells with cutting-edge wastewater treatment coupled with regenerative reuse irrigation disposal methods. Contribute to Ma'alaea Village Association 501(c)(3) today to make a tax-deductible donation to sponsor this effort. A feasibility study for a new regional wastewater reclamation system has been performed. A gift of $9.5M will now solve the problem.
Donate to realize UV disinfection of municipal injection well discharges in Kahului
Reef Power has coordinated with the Maui County Department of Environmental Management to understand cost estimates to install and operate ultraviolet (UV) disinfection of injected wastewater at the Kahului and Kihei Wastewater Reclamation Facilities. We have a For Benefit of (FBO) account in place with Maui Nui Marine Resource Council that could receive a tax deductible donation to transfer to the County of Maui through the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) process to fund 100% disinfection of injected municipal wastewater in Maui. A tax deductible donation of approximately $6M will solve the problem.
Add your wastewater or reef health project to FlushAware
Do you have a wastewater, water quality or reef health project you would like to see listed in this section? Let us know!
Learn more about reefs and ocean health
Learn more about reefs and ocean health by exploring the online presence of some amazing organizations working to make a difference for aquatic life.
Learn more about reefs and ocean health by exploring the online presence of some amazing organizations working to make a difference for aquatic life.
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Examine and adapt the selection of toiletries, cosmetics & cleaning products that you flush
Move away from mainstream, "engineered" corporate products, to plant-based "natural" products that advertise and promote long-term environmental sustainability downstream. Seek out products that you may put down the drain, shower or toilet, with "ECOLABELS", or search for environmentally friendly products in United States Environmental Protection Agency databases.
Examine and adapt the selection of toiletries, cosmetics & cleaning products that you flush
Move away from mainstream, "engineered" corporate products, to plant-
based "natural" products that advertise and promote long-term
environmental sustainability downstream. Seek out products that you may
put down the drain, shower or toilet, with "ECOLABELS", or search for
environmentally friendly products in United States Environmental
Protection Agency databases.
You should always:
- avoid flushing prescription drugs
- avoid washing used cooking oils & grease down the drain
- avoid flushing “flushable” wipes, which do not break down in water and combine with oils & grease to create “fatbergs” that are clogging sewer lines and pumps all over the world.
- avoid using the toilet as a trash can
Search ECOLABEL cleaning products
Look for these "ECOLABELS" when shopping cleaning products
Search ECOLABEL cosmetics & personal care products
Look for these "ECOLABELS" when shopping cosmetic and personal care products
US EPA 'Safer Choice Standard' products
Products that Meet the Safer Choice Standard
Disinfectants that meet the 'Design for the Environment' standard
Search disinfectants that meet the 'Design for the Environment' standard
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