Bill > SB542

This bill addresses the significant environmental and health challenges posed by cesspools in Hawaii by accelerating the timeline for upgrading or converting these outdated wastewater systems. Currently, Hawaii has over 80,000 cesspools that discharge approximately 50 million gallons of wastewater daily, causing serious damage to public health, drinking water quality, marine ecosystems, and coral reefs. The bill mandates that priority level 1 cesspools (those deemed most environmentally harmful) must be upgraded, converted, or connected to a sewerage system by January 1, 2035, with a slight extension for certain cesspools in specific state parks. Priority level 2 cesspools must be similarly addressed by January 1, 2040, which is ten years earlier than the previous deadline of 2050. The bill provides exemption options for property owners who can demonstrate legitimate challenges to upgrading their cesspools, such as lot size, topography, or soil conditions, and allows for potential three-year extensions based on financial hardship. To support these mandatory upgrades, the bill authorizes the issuance of $500 million in general obligation bonds and continues a cesspool compliance pilot grant project, aiming to help property owners finance the necessary improvements while preventing potential economic, environmental, and public health catastrophes.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=542&year=2025