(BIVN) – The advisory posted for a recent wastewater discharge into the waters off the Keaukaha shoreline of Hilo has been canceled.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health Clean Water Branch reported on Tuesday that all temporary warning signs have been removed from affected areas, which stretched from the Hilo Breakwater, east to Richardson Ocean Park. 

Health officials issued the notice on Friday afternoon, June 21, reporting the cause of the discharge to be a chlorination process failure at the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant. The failure occurred at 8:15 a.m. and the processing was restored by 12:30 p.m.

The County of Hawai‘i Department of Environmental Management reported an estimated 607,000 gallons of non-chlorinated secondary treated effluent was discharged from the Hilo treatment plant. “The cause of the failure was determined to have occurred when the chlorine was being replenished,” a County news release stated. 

image from an interactive map by the Hawaiʻi Department of Health Clean Water Branch showing the location of the affected area.

All temporary warning signs have been removed now that the advisory has been canceled.

“Our team has conducted a thorough investigation of the incident that occurred last Friday and determined that it was an isolated incident that should not repeat itself,” said Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth. “We understand the community’s concerns and assure them that we are working diligently to monitor water quality and implement additional safeguards to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents and environment. Fortunately, the discharge went through the secondary treatment level, and no significant impacts on the shoreline ecosystem are anticipated. We appreciate the community’s patience as we take the necessary steps to prevent such incidents in the future and maintain the integrity of our shorelines.”