NOTICE OF CLEAN WATER BRANCH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PERMIT FOR
MAUI OCEAN CENTER (MOC)
NPDES PERMIT NO. HI 0021504

The State of Hawaii, Department of Health (DOH), Clean Water Branch (CWB) tentatively recommends to the Director of Health (Director) to renew a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to regulate and impose water pollution control requirements on the discharge of marine aquarium flow-through ocean water, filtrate from sand filtration, and effluent from the protein skimmer and ozone treatment process, to receiving State waters, subject to special conditions, to:

MAUI OCEAN CENTER, INC.

A permit for such discharge would expire five (5) years from the effective date of the permit. The facility is located at: 192 Maalaea Road, Wailuku, Island of Maui, 96793.
The facility is a commercial marine aquarium public attraction displaying a wide variety of marine life and habitats. Facility operations involve an ocean water circulation system that provides continuous flow-through of seawater to the aquarium display tanks and pools. Intake pumps lead to an intake reservoir, and rapid sand filtration is used to provide a high level of water quality in the displays. Recirculation is used when water needs to be retained within the aquarium rather than discharged during events such as power outages or extreme amounts of sediment in the intake sea water due to runoff from flash floods. Approximately 1.2 million gallons per day (MGD) of intake ocean water flows through the circulation system and is discharged to Maalaea Harbor at Outfall Serial No. 001 located at Latitude 20°47’31.2″N and Longitude 156°30’39.9″W.
The receiving water, Maalaea Harbor, Pacific Ocean is designated as a “Class A, Embayment” under HAR Section 11-54-6(a)(3). It is the objective of Class A waters that their use for recreational purposes and aesthetic enjoyment be protected. Any other use shall be permitted as long as it is 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 calendar days after the date of this notice, either through E-mail at Codey.Hongo@doh.hawaii.gov or by mail at P.O. BOX 3378, Honolulu, Hawaii 96801-3378.
Copies of the public notice permit recommended by CWB 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 Clean Water Branch office located at 2827 Waimano Home Road, Room 225, Pearl City, Hawaii 96782 and at the Maui District Health Office at 54 South High Street #301, Wailuku, HI 96793. Copies may be bought. Electronic copies of the proposed public notice permit and other information are also available online at https://health.hawaii.gov/cwb/clean-water-branch-home-page/public-notices-and-updates/.
For more information or if you have special needs due to disability that will aid you in inspecting and/or commenting on the public notice permit and related information, please contact Mr. Reef Migita, Supervisor of the Engineering Section, Clean Water Branch, at the above address or (808) 586-4309 (Voice) as soon as possible before the end of the comment period. For those who use a TTY/TDD, please call through Sprint Relay Hawaii, at 1 711 or 1-877-447-5991. If a request for assistance is made after the end of the comment period, the CWB will try to fulfill the request. However, fulfillment prior to a final determination cannot guaranteed. Requests submitted as early as possible are more likely to be fulfilled.
All written comments and requests received on time will be considered. If the Director determines that there is significant public interest, a public hearing may be held after at least 30 calendar days of public notice.
If CWB believes, after considering all timely written comments at any public hearing that may be held, that no substantive changes to the conditions of the public notice permit are necessary or warranted, then CWB may recommend to the Director that the NPDES permit be issued.
Please notify anyone you know who would be interested in this matter.

DARRYL LUM, P.E.
Clean Water Branch Chief
(MA1537091 9/02/26)