Effective Wastewater Management

Cesspools pose a huge threat to human and environmental health when the waste flows into our waters and are damaging to our coastal ecosystem. Due to recent legislation (Act 125) all of Hawai'i's 80,000 cesspools are required to be converted to an efficient waste water management system by the year of 2050. All of the cesspools are assigned a "priority" based on how big of a risk they pose to water sources and about half of Hawai'is cesspools pose a threat to our water, A few quick facts about the importance of making cesspools a thing of the past here in Hawai'i:

- everyday, 53 million gallons of raw sewage is discharged into Hawai'i's waters from the state's cesspools.

- 43,000 of the state's cesspools pose a threat to Hawaii's water.

- Cesspools can contaminate ground water, drinking water, streams, and oceans with disease-causing pathogens.

For property owners - there are options and opportunities for converting your cesspool to a better and more sustainable system and below are some resources to help you get started:

Dept of Health / Waste Water Branch: Steps to Conversion: *start here to better understand the conversion process. List of Licensed Engineers who can draft a Individual Wastewater System * it is important to due your due diligence and find an engineer that is licensed and experienced in this type of work.

List of Septic Tank Contractors *same as selecting an engineer, it is important to find a licensed contractor who has experience in waste water installation.

Wastewater Alternatives & Innovations *WAI is a non-profit organization who is driven to help homeowners manage the process of converting their cesspool systems and failing septic systems to more sustainable options.

State of Hawaii / Tax Credit Program & Qualifying Cesspools find tax credit options for converting your cesspool systems