Several Hawaii residents are suing the property owners of a North Shore restaurant for allegedly violating permitting law and polluting Haleiwa by using an improper septic system.

The plaintiffs include a community group called Save Haleiwa Beach Park, Haleiwa resident Cora Sanchez and Abigail Kawananakoa, a descendant of Hawaiian royalty and millionaire heiress to the James Campbell estate.

The defendants include Dominis “Andy” and Jean Anderson, who own the land beneath Haleiwa Beach House Restaurant, as well as the both the city and state.

Waves pound Haleiwa Beach park.
Waves pound Haleiwa Beach Park in February 2016. Some neighbors fear a nearby restaurant is polluting the park. Cory Lum/Civil Beat

The plaintiffs want an injunction to force the restaurant to close until sewage pollution is addressed and permits are received.

“Draining human sewage into the vicinity of an ancient fishpond by Andy Anderson was not an accident; it was the inevitable result of ignoring the law,” Kawananakoa said in a statement. “It was deliberately done knowing full well that children were using this pond to study important Hawaiian traditions and culture.”

In June, the state Department of Health fined the restaurant $5,000 for ignoring seating capacity limitations imposed to address wastewater concerns. The agency forced the restaurant to shut down for several days.

Hawaii News Now reported that the city cited the same restaurant earlier this year for undergoing construction without obtaining the necessary building permits.

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