Honolulu has finished a new facility at the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant, a plus for Oahu's beaches and ocean water quality.

• A traditional Hawaiian blessing marked the completion of the plant's first secondary-treatment phase.
• The upgrade uses a fine filtration system called membrane bioreactors, which cleans water better than older methods.
• After filtering, UV light disinfects the water before it goes back into the ocean.
• The city says the plant will handle 48 million gallons of wastewater, and officials frame it as part of a broader push to modernize the island's aging infrastructure.

Outlook: The project is meant to be the first step in a longer effort to keep Oahu's beaches clean and build more resilient infrastructure for the years ahead.