Efforts to Make Hawaii Less of the Cesspool Capital Mostly Fail

While many people might know Hawaii for its beaches or waterfalls, the state is also known to environmentalists as the nation’s cesspool capital, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Hawaii is the only state that doesn’t ban the construction of new cesspools, essentially holes in the ground that discharge raw, untreated sewage.

Lawmakers have discussed several bills this session regarding about 90,000 cesspools located throughout Hawaii, but only one measure has made it to conference committee.

House Bill 1140, which was introduced by Rep. Nicole Lowen, would give home owners up to a $10,000 tax credit to convert cesspools to a septic system, an aerobic treatment unit system or to connect to a sewer system. The bill is scheduled for a conference committee hearing on Friday at 11 a.m.

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