Wai'anae Wastewater Treatment Plant - Take Action

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!

Take Action - Sign petitions to improve wastewater disposal methods

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 Today

Sign a Petition

Please take a moment to sign all of these water waste related petitions working toward change in Maui.

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List Your Water Quality Petition on FlushAware

Contact Reef Power LLC to list your water quality petition on FlushAware.

Contact Reef Power LLC
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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.

Bill 52 for Oahu and across Hawai'i
Take Action - Email decisionmakers to improve wastewater disposal methods

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

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!

Take Action -

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!
Take Action -

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
Take Action -

Support Maui projects working toward 100% reuse

Support these local projects to improve treatment levels and move toward 100% reuse in Maui.

Support 100% Reuse Projects

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!"

Email action - 1

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.

Contribute about

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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.

Contribute about

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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.

Contribute about

Email action - 4

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.

Contribute about

Email action - 5

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!

Contact FlushAware about

Take Action -

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

Learn more about reefs and ocean health by exploring the online presence of some amazing organizations working to make a difference for aquatic life.

Hawaiicoral.org
Ridge to Reefs

Waihe'e Limu Restoration

Coral Reef Alliance



Allen Coral Atlas

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council

Marine life photography Keoki and Yuko Stender

Wastewater Alternatives and Innovations



Reef Power

Ocean Sewage Alliance

Reef Resilience Network


Take Action -

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.

Learn more

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
Email action - 1

Search ECOLABEL cleaning products

Look for these "ECOLABELS" when shopping cleaning products

Cleaning Products about

Email action - 2

Search ECOLABEL cosmetics & personal care products

Look for these "ECOLABELS" when shopping cosmetic and personal care products

Personal Care Products about

Email action - 3

US EPA 'Safer Choice Standard' products

Products that Meet the Safer Choice Standard

Search for Safer Choice Standard products about

Email action - 4

Disinfectants that meet the 'Design for the Environment' standard

Search disinfectants that meet the 'Design for the Environment' standard

Search disinfectants about

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Email Sign-up

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Follow our Instagram @flushaware

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