Cleaning This Polluted Maui Harbor Requires Money, Land And Oysters 0 The County Council will vote on whether to approve $9.5 million for a state-of-the art wastewater treatment plant in Maalaea.
MAALAEA, Maui — When Peter Cannon was growing up in the 1950s, the bay outside his childhood home was a brilliant turquoise. The crystal-clear water rippled with marine life. Exotic seashells with pink and blue stripes speckled the beach. When Cannon snorkeled, schools of brightly colored, tropical fish swirled around him.
“It was like diving in an aquarium,” said Cannon, 75. “Maalaea looked like Tahiti.”
Much has changed in the ensuing decades. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists Maalaea beach and small boat harbor as “impaired waterbodies,” meaning pollution exceeds acceptable levels. Most of the area’s coral reef is completely wiped out by sediment and nutrients. The state Division of Aquatic Resources describes the reef degradation in Maalaea as a case study in total system collapse.
