Maui County Must Get Federal Water Permit After SCOTUS Ruling

Maui County, Hawaii, must get a federal water pollution permit for its releases of pollutants, a federal court in the state ruled Thursday following the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in the litigation.

The case centered on whether the county was required to get a National Pollutant Discharge Permit under the Clean Water Act. Maui wasn’t releasing pollutants directly into the Pacific Ocean, but was instead releasing them into injection wells at the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility a half mile from the ocean.

Permits are required for indirect water contamination that is the “functional equivalent” of a direct release of ...