Brenda Ford/ DOH regarding Kapoho cesspools

[Rob Tucker]

Aloha Friends,

I am forwarding this excellent information provided by the DOH regarding cesspools that may be damaged. Only one damaged cesspool from Hurricane/Tropical Storm Iselle is known. You may want to have your cesspool checked especially if you are in a Critical Waste water Disposal Area like Kapoho.

Please forward this email to your friends in Puna whose property was damaged by the storm.

Best wishes for a fast disaster recovery.

Hugs to all!

Brenda Ford
Council Member – District 6
Hawai‘i County Council
74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Ofc: 808-323-4277
Email: Brenda.Ford@hawaiicounty.gov


From: Gill, Gary L. [mailto:Gary.Gill@doh.hawaii.gov]
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2014 12:16 PM
To: Ford, Brenda; Cohdem@co.hawaii.hi.us
Cc: Rosen, Linda; Aquino, Julie A.; Leticia.Acido-Mercado@doh.hawaii.gov; Pruder, Sina L; Yamada, Stuart H; Nishioka, Miles; Cook, Amy
Subject: Kapoho cesspools

Councilmember Ford,

This is to respond to the questions you have raised and posed to the Director of Health.

The department has been informed of only one cesspool damaged in the storm and it was located in Kapoho next to the shoreline. Our Hilo engineer, Amy Cook, has contacted the owners of the damaged cesspool to let them know that they will need to upgrade their individual wastewater system and that a new cesspool will not be allowed to be constructed. This property is located in a Critical Wastewater Disposal Area. No new cesspools are allowed to be constructed in this area.

The Governor’s Emergency Proclamation applied to Public entities and not private property owners. So private property owners are not exempt from the water pollution law, HRS Chapter 342D.

Owners will be required to comply with our chapter 11-62 rules if they need to replace their existing damaged wastewater system.

I’ve provided answers to your questions below:


1. Would you please advise what laws apply to this situation? Based on our Hawaii Administrative Rules, Chapter 11-62, “Wastewater Systems”, new cesspools will not be allowed to be constructed in Critical Wastewater Disposal Areas (CWDA). Damaged cesspools may be replaced in areas designated as non-CWDA. Property owners should contact our Wastewater Branch’s Hilo office at 933-0930 for information about CWDA and/or non-CWDA areas.

2. Who determines that the cesspool is “destroyed” or “damaged”? Property owners may call our Wastewater Branch’s Hilo office at 933-0930 to schedule an inspection of the cesspool or they could hire a licensed contractor to make that determination.

3. Are there any loans to assist in the cost to the lot owner in replacement of cesspools with septic systems? None that we are aware of.

4. How long does a property owner have to do the replacement? The property owner shouldn’t use a wastewater system if it is damaged as it will cause a wastewater spill. The property owner should replace the damaged wastewater system as soon as possible.

5. Will FEMA help the property owners with this cost? You will need to contact FEMA for this information. The EPA? Not that we know of.

6. What if the property owner does not have flood insurance or hurricane/wind insurance? Will FEMA or EPA still help the property owner? You will need to contact FEMA. To our knowledge, EPA does not provide this kind of assistance.


Thank you for your concern. Please do not hesitate to call on me if you would like more information.

Mahalo,
Gary Gill
From: Ford, Brenda [mailto:Brenda.Ford@hawaiicounty.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 12:58 PM
To: Rosen, Linda
Cc: Nishioka, Miles; Cook, Amy
Subject: FW: Kapoho & other locations

Aloha,

The Director of Environmental Management for the County of Hawai‘i was not able to answer the questions below. Would you be able to answer them? I want to have a report for the Hawai‘i county council in the near future. Also, would you be available for that council meeting via telephone or perhaps Amy Cook could come to the meeting. I’ll let you know what date and time for the meeting.

Mahalo.

Brenda Ford
Council Member – District 6
Hawai‘i County Council
74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Ofc: 808-323-4277
Email: Brenda.Ford@hawaiicounty.gov

[lavalava]

So of course there is only one admittedly damaged cesspool as admitting damage forces you to upgrade at your expense. Poor Kapooho.

[Kapohocat]

Just a note, there are many newer houses affected on Waiopae that had already had aerobic systems installed as a requirement for building a new home.

Amy Cook was at a meeting yesterday at my house and the cesspools will be upgraded to current waste water requirements with each building permit pulled if the new permit is valued at more than $10K - which as you all know isnt much in the building world. So there will be more upgrades than just one.