HILO — Big Island Dairy has reported completing all actions required by the state Department of Health for its closure, DOH spokeswoman Anna Koethe said this week, sharing an update from the Clean Water Branch.
That includes removing all cows from confinement, eliminating the dairy’s wastewater system and lagoons, cleaning the stalls and feed areas, stabilizing the fields and having an engineer determine there were no unintended impacts to the drainage from the facility as a result of the closure activities, she said.
Dairy owners announced in November they would discontinue dairy and milk processing operations at the Ookala facility, which has been owned by Steve and Derek Whitesides since 2011.
The dairy and the DOH entered into an agreement at the end of March that addressed numerous discharges of wastewater containing manure from the dairy into state waters during the past two years.
That agreement required the owners to terminate their dairy operations, remove all cows from confinement, clean and remove the existing wastewater system and pay $79,000 by June, either as an administrative penalty or to fund an environmentally beneficial project in the area.
Koethe said the DOH is working with the Center for Food Safety and Kupale Ookala, plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against the dairy that was subsequently settled, on a proposed set of projects to improve the local drinking water system and remediate the impact of discharges from the dairy.
If and when the DOH is able to finalize the details of these proposed projects, the department will direct the dairy to fund the projects, she explained. Should an appropriate project not be agreed upon, Koethe said DOH will direct any penalties to the department’s Environmental Emergency Response Fund.
Details regarding the status of the proposed projects should be available by mid September, she said.
According to Koethe, there is not a “real time count” on the number of cows remaining, but it is believed that fewer than 200 remain on the property, distributed through the pastures.
“DOH Clean Water Branch staff is scheduled to conduct an inspection of the facility in the coming weeks to verify the completion of activities as reported,” Koethe said.
“It is a welcomed relief to finally be able to breathe clean air up in Ookala and the community is grateful for that,” said Ookala homeowner Charlene Nishida.
Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
