Kauaʻi House Delegation hosting town hall Monday about transitioning away from cesspools

On Monday, the Kauaʻi House Delegation will host a community town hall about transitioning away from cesspools.

Information will be provided about cesspools, alternative wastewater options, financing transitioning projects and the Kauaʻi County Cesspool Conversion Grant Program.

The application period for the program began Aug. 28 and runs through Sept. 27. There is $2 million available to fund conversions for 100 homeowners on the Garden Isle.

House Majority Leader Nadine K. Nakamura, House Majority Floor Leader Dee Morikawa and House Rep. Luke A. Evslin will be in attendance at the townhall, which will run 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Kauaʻi Philippine Cultural Center, 4475-F Nuhou St. in Līhuʻe.

Guest speakers include: Stuart Coleman, executive director of Wastewater Alternatives and Innovations; Kauaʻi County Housing Director Adam Roversi; Nikki Ige, community impact director with Kauaʻi Federal Credit Union; and Hanalei Initiative Board Director Mason Chock.

In 2017, the State of Hawaiʻi passed a law requiring all cesspools be converted by the year 2050. Cesspools are underground holes used throughout Hawaii that are used for the disposal of human waste that is untreated and discharged directly into the ground. This raw sewage can contaminate oceans, streams and ground water by releasing disease-causing pathogens and nitrates.