The Department of Hawaiian Homelands will begin field surveys of active and inactive cesspools in homestead communities on Kauai next month as part of a new law that requires the upgrade, conversion or sewer connection of all cesspools in the state.
The surveys will be conducted by the Hawaii Engineering Group starting on Nov. 1 and will continue through January 2023.
There are approximately 88,000 cesspools statewide.
Field surveys are scheduled for the following dates and locations:
- Anahola (Residential): Nov. 1-23
- Anahola (Agricultural): Nov. 28–Dec. 30
- Kapaʻa: Jan. 3 -27, 2023
- Kekaha: Jan. 3-27
- Hanapēpē: Jan. 3-31
- Waimea: Jan. 3-31
Area residents are advised to expect ground surveyors and occasionally drone survey work within the homestead community during daylight hours on the scheduled survey days.
Hawaii Engineering Group staff may also go door to door with a copy of a letter sent to lessees ahead of the scheduled work to gather additional data and notify lessees of the upcoming activity.
Gov. David Ige signed Act 125 into law in 2017. The required upgrades, conversions or connections must be completed by Jan. 1, 2050.
The data collected from this survey is expected to provide accurate information for officials to determine appropriate funding mechanisms to assist families in complying with Act 125.
To assist the project teams, lessees are encouraged to complete an online survey on the DHHL website.
Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii.
