UPDATE – The Hawaiʻi Department of health on Thursday, June 27, extended the deadline to comment again. The DOH stated:

The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) has extended the public comment period for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit renewal for the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory. On June 25, the DOH was unable to receive public comment through email due to technical issues. The email address has been restored and the comment period extended. Written public comments will be received by DOH until July 9, 2019 at 4:30 p.m. and may be sent by email to: cleanwaterbranch@doh.hawaii.gov or delivered to:

State of Hawai‘i
Clean Water Branch
2827 Waimano Home Road #225
Pearl City, HI 96782

(BIVN) – A public hearing was held Tuesday evening in Kona on a renewal for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the Thirty Meter Telescope construction on Mauna Kea.

According to the Hawaiʻi Department of Health, the NPDES renewal permit authorizes storm water to discharge to State surface waters during construction activities. The permit has specific conditions and control measures requirements, such as erosion and sediment control, good house keeping, waste storage and handling, and “inspections, reporting, and corrective action”. The previous NPDES permit expired, although state officials say it was extended.

Over 20 testifiers spoke, all of them in opposition to the permit. Many of them requested a contested case hearing.

Some testifiers also said they had difficulty submitting their written testimony of through the DOH website, and said supporting permit documents were unavailable online. State officials acknowledged their was a technical issue.