The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently fined the county of Hawai‘i $28,500 for failure to meet the deadline to complete the design of the Pāhala Wastewater Treatment Facility in Pāhala, Hawaii.
Hawai‘i County agreed in 2017 to close five large capacity cesspools (LCCS) servicing the Pāhala and Nāʻālehu communities and replace them with wastewater treatment facilities, the EPA said in a release. The plant design was to be completed and approved by the Department of Health by July 24, 2021.
The EPA issued a notice of noncompliance on Aug. 17, followed by a demand for payment of the penalty in early November, the release said.
“County of Hawaii has failed to meet its legal commitment to modernize wastewater infrastructure,” EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Director of the Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division Amy Miller said. “EPA expects the County to expeditiously construct the Pahala Wastewater Treatment Facility to protect drinking water and coastal resources on the Big Island.”
Under the initial agreement, approximately 272 properties will be connected to the new facilities, according to the release. An additional 95 properties outside Pāhala and Nāʻālehu will also have access.
Hawai‘i Mayor Mitch Roth said some circumstances required further review before the design could move forward, according to a report by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
“Our administration has been working diligently with the EPA and the community to close the large capacity cesspools in Pahala and Naalehu,” said Roth in a statement. “However, upon re-evaluation of the project and discovery in April of a more extensive lava tube system than previously anticipated, we consciously decided to do further environmental review to select a wastewater treatment plant that will reduce environmental and fiscal concerns.”
Cesspools collect and discharge untreated raw sewage into the ground and can contaminate groundwater, streams, and the ocean, the EPA said. Groundwater provides 95% of all domestic water in Hawaii.
The federal Safe Drinking Water Act banned LCCS in April 2005, per EPA regulations. Since then, more than 3,600 LCCs in Hawaii have been closed, yet hundreds remain in operation, the release said.
