Oahu voters in November approved a City Charter amendment to create a city-managed climate resiliency fund. That fund — to be supported by 0.5% of the city’s estimated annual real property tax revenue — supposedly would finance preventive, restorative and educational measures relating to climate change.
Now the City Council is advancing a measure to use the fund to convert outdated cesspools on Oahu, possibly to more updated sewer systems.
Introduced in February by Council Vice Chair Matt Weyer and Chair Tommy Waters, Bill 15, which passed its first of three Council readings in February, would offer grants to assist homeowners with cesspool conversions.
Oahu has an estimated 7,500 cesspools — typically, underground holding tanks for the storage of liquid waste and sewage — that could release approximately 4.5 million gallons of untreated wastewater daily. That cesspool waste, according to Council staff, can contaminate the ocean, streams and groundwater by releasing disease-causing pathogens and nitrates.
The University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program estimates there are over 83,000 cesspools statewide.
In 2005 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned large-capacity cesspools. Additionally, under Act 125 the state mandates that all cesspools be upgraded, converted or closed by 2050.
But cesspool conversion costs can reach tens of thousands of dollars, a situation Council staff asserts that many working families simply can’t afford.
As drafted, Bill 15 would offer grants of up to $50,000 to homeowners earning
less than $100,000 in household income, helping them comply with state requirements to replace cesspools without facing financial hardship.
Weyer represents Council District 2, which includes Oahu’s North Shore, where residential cesspools are common.
“Households throughout my district are feeling the impacts and are considered cesspool conversion priority one and two areas by the (Department of Health), meaning they’re experiencing the greatest contamination hazard,” he said in a statement. “This measure will allow the city to help families comply with the state’s regulations before the 2050 deadline.”
During the Council’s Budget Committee meeting Tuesday, Weyer introduced a new draft of Bill 15 that, in part, proposes installations of new lateral sewer connections for unsewered properties that were not previously serviced by a public sewer main be deemed as a “preventive and ameliorative measure.”
At the same meeting, the panel received information from city officials about Bill 15 and the proposed cesspool conversion program.
“The voters clearly supported setting up this fund for climate resiliency,” said Andy Kawano, director of the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services. Based on current real property tax and revenue estimates, he said roughly $9 million per year would added to the new fund.
“I just wanted to point out that our climate resiliency needs for this island are significant, and the ultimate cost to address sea level rise, wildfires, the impacts of hurricane type of weather will be significant,” Kawano added, “and this set-aside really provides seed money for initial planning and discussion with Council and the public to ensure that we have a plan to go forward, and with that, estimates of costs we can expect on a timetable.”
Budget Committee Chair Tyler Dos Santos-Tam asked how quickly the city’s finance department could set up and administer the property tax-based program.
“My understanding is that Corporation Counsel is still looking at the process of making grants,” Kawano replied. “They’re very positive about it, but they’re going to come back to us with an opinion.”
He explained that the city might create a web-based portal “so the public and organizations that are advocates of climate resiliency are able to self-service, if you will — go to the portal and apply for grants.”
“We’re not there yet,” he added.
Meanwhile, the possible replacement of a city cesspool depends in large part on available city services in a particular area.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Roger Babcock, director-designate of the city Department of Environmental Services, said cesspool conversions are related to the city’s ongoing “sewer improvement district projects.” He indicated that multiple projects are identifying where folks have cesspools and where the city plans to bring sewers to them.
“It is possible that (Bill 15) could assist homeowners with connections to sewers,” Babcock said. “So we would support that as a possibility, and it could be beneficial for some of the ratepayers.”
Dos Santos-Tam asked how the city prioritized which cesspools need to be replaced first. Babcock said, “The state has done a lot of effort on that prioritization.”
“And since this is the climate resiliency fund, presumably we’d focus on cesspools that are impacted either by sea level rise or groundwater inundation,” he added. “So those would mostly be the coastal cesspools. And unfortunately, there are quite a few of those.”
Council member Radiant Cordero asked how quickly the city would be able
to complete cesspool
conversions.
Babcock replied that the city programs were related to “sewering certain neighborhoods where that is essentially feasible, in the proximity of our existing (sewer) treatment plants.”
“Most of the cesspools are not in those areas and are in areas that we do not plan to bring sewers to,” Babcock said, adding the North Shore is one of those areas. “So the homeowners will currently kind of be on their own.”
He noted about 10,000 private cesspools on Oahu will be targeted.
“Still, for all of those to change will probably take until 2050, when the deadline is,” he said. “It’s a long process; there’s a lot of contractors, a lot of work, a lot of design and permits that have to happen. So the answer is it’s a long process.”
Later, Weyer asked about the city’s plans to install sewers on the island.
“Currently, in our CIP program, a little over 3,000 are planned,” Babcock replied. “It’s not designed or all funded yet, but they’ve been identified in facility plans to (be installed) essentially within catchment areas of existing treatment plants.”
Although she said she
appreciates and supports Bill 15, Council member Esther Kia‘aina also expressed concern about providing funding to fight introduced invasive species — an aspect of the climate resiliency fund — and requested “any extra funds” should go toward that effort.
“This is not just about the coconut rhinoceros beetle or the little fire ants,” she said, noting the noisy coqui frog is already establishing populations in East Oahu and eradication efforts have proved ineffective. State officials say the frog species was accidentally introduced to Hawaii from Puerto Rico decades ago and feasts on native insects.
Ultimately, the committee passed the latest version of Bill 15, setting it up for second reading at an upcoming full Council meeting.
