EA for Keaukaha project contains references to startup company

Despite appearing in a state environmental assessment, a private company’s concept for a water treatment facility in Keaukaha remains only hypothetical for now.

Earlier this month, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands published a final EA for a plan to subdivide a 1,334-acre portion of state land at King’s Landing into minimally developed lots for DHHL beneficiaries.

Within the 1,500-page document are occasional references to a proposed water treatment plant by startup energy company Yummet.

According to the assessment, Yummet proposed building a “waste conversion facility” at King’s Landing that could process up to 5 million gallons of treated effluent from the nearby Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant per day. The process would separate clean water, which would be diverted to the community, from nonpotable water that would be flushed out into the ocean through the current wastewater pipeline system.

The assessment also references Yummet’s proprietary technology the company claims can process waste into not just clean water, but also into carbon-negative concrete, clean air, hydrogen and biochar, which can be used to trap carbon and prevent it from entering the atmosphere.

According to the EA, the King’s Landing community association Malama Ka Aina Hana Ka Aina, or MAHA, is “open to the possibility of partnering” with Yummet for the project.

However, the project currently is only theoretical.

MAHA President ‘Ainaaloha Ioane said Yummet representatives met with community members twice in 2023 for informational presentations about a possible water treatment facility, but the company made no firm declarations about potential costs or development timelines.

“We listened to them, and they talked about what opportunities they can offer,” Ioane said. “It was more like ‘this is what we can do’ than ‘this is what we are doing’ or ‘this is what we’re planning to do.’”

Ioane said the meetings were referenced in the EA for transparency’s sake, and to indicate to state authorities that wastewater treatment options will be necessary for any future settlement of King’s Landing.

“We are looking for wastewater treatment solutions, because none exist in King’s Landing,” Ioane said.

But if Yummet is to build a facility at King’s Landing, it is a long way off.

DHHL spokeswoman Diamond Badajos told the Tribune-Herald via email that any long-term land use on DHHL lands — which includes King’s Landing — will require a lengthy land use request process, which includes beneficiary consultation, among other things. No such request, whether by Yummet or any other group, has been made regarding King’s Landing.

Hawaii County Research and Development Director Doug Adams reiterated that Yummet has not submitted a proposal for a plant to the county.

Although Adams has met with Yummet in the past — in March 2023, he visited a Yummet pilot site in Minnesota but later told the County Council he had to sign a nondisclosure agreement pertaining to the company’s patented waste conversion technology — he said last week the county has not had any contact with the company for some time.

“I know their conversations with the King’s Landing community had happened, but it’s been awhile since I’ve heard anything from them,” Adams said.

However, the county passed a resolution in March 2023 that urged the county to develop a facility that could divert all municipal waste and convert it into more carbon-friendly materials by 2026, largely based on Yummet’s claims.

Adams said the county is preparing to put out a request for proposals for waste-to-energy projects, but any additional communications with Yummet in advance of that request would violate the county’s procurement process.

Meanwhile, Adams said the county Department of Environmental Management is gearing up for a long-needed overhaul of the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant, which has been a source of ire for the Keaukaha and King’s Landing communities, given fears of chemical and waste runoff into Puhi Bay.

The Tribune-Herald was unable to reach any representatives of Yummet for comment.

Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.