The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday it will take enforcement actions on Oahu and the Big Island to bring about the closure of three pollution-causing large-capacity cesspools (LCCs) and issue $268,000 in fines.
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the agency banned LCCs in 2005.
“Large-capacity cesspools can contaminate our groundwater, streams and ocean resources,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator John Busterud. “EPA will continue efforts to identify and close the remaining LCCs in Hawaii including those owned by state and local government agencies.”
Hawaii County has agreed to pay a $133,000 fine and close the Kainaliu Comfort Station cesspool by the end of this year. The station has a public toilet in its parking lot that discharges into an LCC.
The state City and County of Honolulu has agreed to pay a $135,000 penalty for two LCCs on a central Oahu property owned by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and leased to the city. The two LCCs, according to the EPA, serve a restaurant, gift shop and farm. The cesspools must be closed by the end of this year.
Since the 2005 LCC ban, more than 3,600 LCCs in Hawaii have been closed; however, many hundreds remain in operation. Cesspools collect and discharge untreated raw sewage into the ground, where disease-causing pathogens and harmful chemicals can contaminate groundwater, streams and the ocean. Groundwater provides 95% of all local water supply in Hawaii, where cesspools are used more widely than in any other state.
In 2017, the state passed Act 125, which requires the replacement of all cesspools by 2050. It is estimated that there are approximately 88,000 cesspools in Hawaii. A state income tax credit is available for upgrading qualified cesspools to a septic system or aerobic treatment unit or connecting them to a sewer. The tax credit ends on Dec. 31.
For more information, visit https://www.epa.gov/uic/cesspools-hawaii.