Polluters in Hawai'i spent or committed more than $28 million toward cleanups this year in response to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enforcement.

"That's up from about $80,000 spent last year," said Dean Higuchi, a spokesman for the agency. "So, yeah, I would say getting folks to commit more money toward correcting environmental violations and preventing future pollution has been very good this year."

The biggest payouts were toward a statewide program to close large-capacity cesspools and a $13 million cleanup by Del Monte Fresh Produce of its Superfund chemical pollution site at Kunia, where a pesticide spill contaminated groundwater.

Jeff Mikulina, director of the Sierra Club Hawai'i chapter, said he was pleased to see the changes.

"It is encouraging to see that there is active enforcement taking place, and we hope it serves as a deterrent to people who see polluting as just a cost of doing business," he said.

In addition to the $13 million, Del Monte will pay all EPA oversight costs at the Superfund site.

The EPA reached agreements with government agencies throughout the state to close 401 large-capacity cesspools, which under federal law had to be shut down by April 2005. Several government agencies were unable to meet the deadline but made sufficient progress that the EPA signed off on their programs.

The total compliance cost for large-capacity cesspool replacements was $15.8 million, Higuchi said.

There are more than 2,000 cesspools statewide, more than in any other state.

In another case, the EPA collected fines of $157,000 from the state Department of Transportation for oil-spill prevention violations at airports and other facilities on four islands.

"In 1999 and 2000, the DOT did not have complete plans to prevent oil spills," said Scott Ishikawa, a spokesman for the state transportation agency. "Improvements were made, the plans were submitted to the EPA in 2002 and we have been in compliance ever since," he said.

The consent agreement was finalized this year.

"The DOT settlement was big," Higuchi said. "It impacts statewide. If something had happened, there could have been quite a bit of spillage. We know now they are ready to deal with those contingencies."

Among other enforcement actions, the EPA cited Pepsi Bottling for stormwater discharges and permit violations at its 'Aiea plant, R.H.S. Lee for oily discharge from its O'ahu facility, Big Island Asphalt for inadequate oil-spill containment, Kaua'i Electric Co. for oil-spill prevention violations and O'ahu Sugar for dioxin contamination at its former pesticide mixing plant near Waipahu.

Flash International Tradings Inc. in Honolulu, ABC Corp. of Waipahu and Morwear Manufacturing Inc. of Los Angeles were fined or ordered to stop selling unregistered mothballs or pesticides.

"Hawai'i residents will enjoy cleaner air, water and land for years to come as a result of the EPA working to enforce environmental laws," said EPA Pacific Southwest Office administrator Wayne Nastri.

Reach Karen Blakeman at kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com and Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.