NOTICE OF PROPOSED WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PERMIT
FOR YACHT HARBOR TOWERS AOAO
NPDES PERMIT NO. HI 0020346
05-CW-PW-05
February 1, 2006
The State Department of Health (DOH) tentatively proposes to issue a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to discharge non-contact cooling water from air conditioning chilled water system from Yacht Harbor Towers, to the Ala Wai Canal, subject to special conditions to:
AOAO YACHT HARBOR TOWERS
The proposed permit will expire on March 31, 2010.
The Yacht Harbor Tower complex comprises of two (2) towers of residential condominium consisting of 459 units with 3 commercial activities. All of the units are provided with air conditioning services via chilled water system. The Yacht Harbor Tower complex has two (2) Turbo-Pak chillers in its conditioning system. Water from two (2) wells, located beneath the building, is used for cooling the refrigerant in the chiller units. The refrigerant in the chilling units is used to cool circulating water in a closed loop system. The water from the wells is pumped through a heat exchanger and then discharged into Ala Wai Canal. An average of 2.6 million gallons per day (MGD) of once-through, non-contact cooling water is discharged into the Ala Wai Canal.
The receiving water, Ala Wai Canal, is classified by the Department of Health as Class 2, Estuaries in accordance with Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR), Chapter 11-54-5. The objective of Class 2 waters is to protect their use for recreational purposes, the support and propagation of aquatic life, agricultural and industrial water supplies, shipping, and navigation. The uses to be protected in this class of waters are all uses compatible with the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife, and with recreation in and on these waters.
Persons wishing to comment upon or object to the proposed NPDES permit, or to request a public hearing, should submit their comments or requests in writing no later than 30 days after the date of this notice, either in person or by mail, to:
Office Address: Mailing Address:
Clean Water Branch Clean Water Branch
Environmental Management Division Environmental Management Division
Department of Health Department of Health
919 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 301 P.O. Box 3378
Honolulu, HI 96814-4920 Honolulu, HI 96801-3378
Copies of the proposed draft permit and other information are available for public inspection, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) from 7:45 a.m. until 4:15 p.m., at the DOH office address shown above. Copies may also be bought. The draft permit and rationale are also available on the internet at http://www.state.hi.us/doh/ch/ cwb/pubntcs/index.html. For more information or if you have special needs due to disability that will aid you in inspecting and/or commenting on the draft permit and related information, please contact Mr. Alec Wong, Supervisor of the Engineering Section, Clean Water Branch, at the above address or (808) 586-4309 (Voice) at least seven (7) days before the comment deadline. For those who use a TTY/TDD, please call through Verizon-Hawaii Telephone Relay Service, at 1-711 or (808) 643-8822.
All comments and requests received on time will be considered. If DOH determines that there is significant public interest, a public hearing may be held after at least 30 days of public notice.
If DOHs position is substantially unchanged after considering all timely written comments and all oral comments at any public hearing that may be held, then the DOH will issue the NPDES permit and this action will be final.
Please notify anyone you know who would be interested in this matter.
Chiyome Leinaala Fukino, M. D.
(SB05521069 2/1/06) Director of Health
