A river in Hawaii that had a strong beer smell has been found to be alcoholic. This was caused by a spill from a nearby drinks warehouse.
Discover our latest podcast
Reeking River
According to Hawaii News Now, the stream which flows into a creek in Waipio, Hawaii, was found to have been contaminated by run-off from a storm drain. Government officials confirmed that the run-off included a spill from a warehouse owned by a liquor manufacturer.
An environmental activist, Carroll Cox, told the news outlet, the water body reeked so badly of alcohol.
The other day we came here you would think it was a beer pub that hadn't opened its doors for three or four days
The media house took a sample of the water to an independent laboratory, which found that almost 1.2 per cent of the water was alcoholic. The results also showed that the river contained almost 0.4 per cent of the water was sugar – an ingredient for beer.
‘It May be Coming From Us’
The river runs through an industrial area which is home to a number of businesses such as Paradise Beverages. This company makes well-known beers for brands Kohola Brewery and Aloha Beer Company.
The company told News Now Hawaii that it was unsure what was causing the alcoholic spillage, although it was working with the departments of health and transportation to determine the cause. Its director of operations, Anthony Rowe said:
Right now, we’ve had the Department of Transportation come in with their representatives, and we’re dealing with them, and we’ve also been contacted by the Department of Health. It may be coming from us so that’s why we’re working with the proper authorities.
Investigations point to the beverage company being at fault, but it is unclear if action will be taken for the alcohol content found in the stream.
Cox said could not hide her frustrations at the situation.
It’s disturbing. It makes you want to pull your hair out, and I don’t have much left.
