The owner of an office property on South Beretania Street in lower Makiki could face a stiff fine after a portion of a roof coating being applied to the building wound up in the gutter earlier this week.

Property owner Sanford Sato said a contractor’s crew was applying the coating to the roof of the SJS Enterprises building at 1313 Beretania St. when unexpected rain showers fell on the coating before it had a chance to dry.
“The contractor told me it was water soluble, but once it dries, it’s supposed to turn hard and not be affected by the rain,” Sato said.
He said rain on Tuesday and Wednesday washed some of the roof coating into a system of gutters and downspouts that empty into drainage pipes under the sidewalk in front of the building. From there, the coating found its way into the gutter along the makai side of Beretania Street.
Marcus Owens, a spokesman for the city Department of Environmental Services, said the incident is being investigated as a possible illegal discharge of a chemical substance into the city’s storm water collection system. Fines for such violations run as much as $25,000 per incident, Owens said.