Celebrating the wins: Lahaina Injection Wells

You might remember back in April, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Maui County cannot inject treated sewage into the groundwater without a permit—making their current practice of releasing millions of gallons of wastewater into the groundwater that leads to the ocean illegal.

This was a big deal then. It’s a big deal now. And it’ll be a big deal for a long time into the future.  

For decades, Maui County and many other institutions polluted oceans, rivers, and lakes by pumping wastewater into the groundwater near these waterways. The underground connections between these water resources meant polluters were trying to do indirectly what they were clearly barred from doing directly: dispose of their pollution in our shared waterways. Our collective advocacy convinced the Supreme Court to close this loophole and strengthen the Clean Water Act. 

You helped make this happen. Now’s a chance to continue that legacy by making a gift today.

This historic ruling solidifies the Clean Water Act and protects communities on Maui and around the U.S. who are fighting to keep their rivers, lakes and oceans free from nasty corporate pollution. Now polluters are required to take the necessary steps to comply with this groundbreaking law for all of their wastewater releases. This is a fundamentally good thing. 

So why am I bringing this up today? Because this year has been tough, there is no denying it. The bad news outweighs the good. This year was also a landmark year for us in the courts, and even if for just a second, I wanted to bathe you in good news and invite you to join me in a little happy dance, celebrating the wins we had in the courtroom. Over the next few weeks, I’ll share some quick reflections on these cases to bring light to your day. 

This ruling from the Supreme Court was a long time coming. The Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund, Surfrider Foundation, West Maui Preservation Association and the Sierra Club have been engaging the community, county council, state and federal courts for decades to stop this needless pollution that has devastated West Maui’s reefs and nearshore waters.

But it’s not over yet —Maui County continues to push back, and as this case continues to set precedent for other wastewater, energy and development projects, the Clean Water Act remains under threat. We anticipate more drawn out legal battles and even legislation to circumvent this ruling over the next couple of years. Donating today will help us continue to hold the government and corporations accountable to environmental protections that put people over profits.