{"id":124379,"date":"2020-08-07T11:00:07","date_gmt":"2020-08-07T21:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=124379"},"modified":"2020-08-07T12:24:23","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T22:24:23","slug":"jcmt-zero-discharge-system-upgrade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/08\/07\/jcmt-zero-discharge-system-upgrade\/","title":{"rendered":"University begins conversion of James Clerk Maxwell Telescope to zero-discharge system"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"telescope
James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on Maunakea. (Photo credit: Jason Chu)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> has initiated plans to upgrade the wastewater system at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT<\/abbr>). The investment is a central part of 东精影业<\/abbr>\u2019s commitment to move to zero-discharge wastewater systems on the Maunakea summit. The existing JCMT<\/abbr> cesspool structure will be properly removed and disposed of and then replaced with a zero-discharge holding tank. Planning for upgrades to the wastewater disposal systems at the Hale P\u014dhaku mid-level facility is also underway. One currently inactive cesspool will be closed, and two others will be converted to septic systems. That project is expected to proceed concurrently with the JCMT<\/abbr> system upgrade.<\/p>\n

“As operator of the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on Maunakea, it is of the utmost importance to the East Asian Observatory that we uphold our responsibility as stewards of the mountain, with gratitude for the privilege of doing scientific research on this special site,” said East Asian Observatory Deputy Director Jessica Dempsey. “We acknowledge that Maunakea deserves only the highest standards of environmental responsibility. It is imperative to convert JCMT<\/abbr> to a zero-discharge system; we are relieved that the University has initiated plans to do so.”<\/p>\n

The Maunakea Management Board and the Kahu K\u016b Mauna Native Hawaiian advisory council will be consulted regarding these projects in the coming weeks, and then 东精影业<\/abbr> will pursue the required approvals and permits. The Maunakea Observatories—东精影业<\/abbr> sub-lease holders for their telescopes\u2019 sites within the 东精影业<\/abbr> science reserve—support 东精影业<\/abbr>\u2019s conversion to zero-discharge systems at the summit. Work is tentatively scheduled to begin by the end of 2020 and is expected to take several months, but is dependent on securing the necessary community input and government approvals.<\/p>\n

The nearest groundwater well to Maunakea is 12 miles west and 8,000 feet below the summit, and hydrological studies show no detectable impact of facilities at the Maunakea Science Reserve on Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island\u2019s fresh water supply. The water from that well has been determined to be 5,000 years old and substantial natural filtration occurs during the passage of water over that time and distance. The Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island water supply originates from rainfall at a significantly lower elevation, about 7,000 feet and below; the facilities are situated at 14,000 feet.<\/p>\n

Meeting the commitment to move to zero-discharge systems on the summit is among the many actions underway to improve the stewardship of 东精影业<\/abbr>-managed Maunakea lands. They include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • An update to the 2009 CMP<\/abbr> is in process that will include input from the community. The target date for presentation of this update to the Board of Regents (BOR<\/abbr>) and Board of Land and Natural Resources is the summer of 2021. The CMP<\/abbr> provides a framework and specific management strategies for the protection and conservation of Maunakea\u2019s resources, which include natural, scientific, cultural and recreational resources.<\/li>\n
  • An update to the 2000 Master Plan is also underway which will likewise incorporate community input. The target date for submission to the BOR<\/abbr> is also the summer of 2021. The Master Plan outlines the vision for the unique educational and research opportunities Maunakea offers, including but not limited to astronomy, while balancing other important perspectives and values including cultural practice, recreation, scientific discovery, and minimal disturbance.<\/li>\n
  • Preparation of the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed land authorization to replace the two existing leases and easement for 东精影业<\/abbr>-managed lands on Maunakea is underway.<\/li>\n
  • Implementation of the administrative rules approved by the BOR<\/abbr> in 2019 and signed by Gov. Ige in January 2020 is ongoing. The rules give 东精影业<\/abbr> the ability to address excessive traffic, establish commercial tour guidelines and better protect natural and cultural resources.<\/li>\n
  • Development with community input of “Site Decommissioning Plans” and “Environmental Site Assessments” for the first two telescopes to be removed has started. Facility removal and site restoration for Caltech Submillimeter Observatory and H\u014dk\u016b Keʻa<\/span> is tentatively scheduled to be complete by 2023.<\/li>\n
  • A proposed restructuring of the internal management of 东精影业<\/abbr> managed lands on Maunakea that will be taken up by the BOR<\/abbr> at its August 2020 meeting. The proposal will make operations and management more efficient, effective, integrated and transparent by establishing the Center for Maunakea Stewardship.<\/li>\n
  • The 东精影业<\/abbr> Hilo ʻImiloa<\/span> Astronomy Center is continuing its work to expand and enhance the educational and cultural programming at the Maunakea Visitor Information Station and Hale P\u014dhaku.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    —By Moanikeʻala<\/span> Nabarro<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> has initiated plans to upgrade the wastewater system at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1193],"tags":[34,292,659,14,947],"class_list":["post-124379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-administrative","tag-astronomy","tag-imiloa-astronomy-center","tag-maunakea","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-system","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124379"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":124482,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124379\/revisions\/124482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}