EPA, Kamehameha Schools to conduct cesspool audit on 3,000 properties

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A landmark agreement to help rid Hawaii of large-capacity cesspools has been reached between the Environmental Protection Agency and Kamehameha Schools.

More than 3,000 properties across some 365,000 acres will be audited to determine which cesspools need to be closed.

The voluntary effort follows a 2005 federal ban on large capacity cesspools.

“This historic agreement brings Hawaii one step closer to its goal of eliminating all cesspools statewide,” EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker said. “We hope Kamehameha Schools becomes the first of many landowners who pursue similar strategies, helping protect Hawaii’s coastal and inland waters.”

Also a part of the agreement, the school will also settle an administrative action by paying more than $99,000 after a lessee replaced a large-capacity cesspool at the Volcano Golf Course and Country Club on the Big Island.

The state of Hawaii has begun work to close or upgrade all small-capacity cesspools by 2050. It’s a goal targeted at protecting Hawaii’s water supply and environment.