Technical Report No. 123
HAWAIIAN WASTE INJECTION PRACTICES AND PROBLEMS
Susan Petty, Frank L. Peterson
January 1979
ABSTRACT
In recent years in Hawaii numerous shallow waste injection wells, constructed for the disposal of domestic sewage effluent, have failed to operate as designed or desired. in the course of this study a field reconnaissance of all the known waste injection wells on O’ahu and Kaua’i, and approximately half of those on Maui, was made and their methods of operation and injection problems evaluated. The results of this study indicate that injection well problems are primarily due to physical and biological, and probably to a much lesser extent, chemical clogging phenomena at the well face. The clogging in a large part results from improper treatment plant operation, improper injection well operation and maintenance, and poor well site selection. improper well construction practices also contribute to a much lesser degree. Furthermore, the results of this study indicate that inadequate data collection, both prior to and after injection has begun, makes early detection and solution of the injection problems more difficult. Recommendations for more adequate data collection and treatment plant and injection well operation and maintenance are made which hopefully will avoid or at Least alleviate many of the injection well problems encountered in this study.