Dive Brief:
- The Department of Health has fined Hawaii County $350,000 for multiple violations at the Hilo landfill.
- State health officials told Big Island Now that the penalties are from a timeframe between January 1 and May 31, 2013, when the county neglected to cover solid waste that was brought to the landfill.
- According to Big Island Now, additional violations include failure to monitor the groundwater at least one time, failure to monitor explosive gas for six months and dumping whole tires into the landfill.
Dive Insight:
According to Big Island Now, the county requested a hearing to dispute the violations. Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, director of the county Department of Environmental Management, told the publication that she disagrees with the timeframes in the report. The DEM expects to meet with state health officials to reduce the fines.
