New Neighbors & Violations

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

so it's the outhouse bothering you most jefyuaz?

Let's compare a cesspool, which is what most people in Puna have, to an outhouse:

Cesspool - hole in the lava
Outhouse - hole in the lava

Cesspool - no filtration
Outhouse - no filtration

Cesspool - concrete cover
Outhouse - wood hole or plastic toilet seat, can be covered if owner chooses to do so, hydrated lime can be sprinkled into pit to prevent insect problems

If built and managed properly, an outhouse is not substantially different than a cesspool in the disposal of waste. If not managed properly, an outhouse can be quite different, creating a problem for the neighbors especially above ground.

If your well is downhill from a cesspool or an outhouse, you're getting unfiltered drainage either way.

(It's) what the existentialists called "awful freedom" the reinvention of irrationality by marginalized people, just in order to spite science. -Elif Batuman

[MarkP]

I agree with HOTPE. The only difference between an outhouse and a cesspool is that the cesspool does prevent contact with the sewage at the surface. Flies can get into the outhouse but not the cesspool. OTOH a cesspool is sort of an injection well. It is deep and it also receives lots of water so it is almost designed to promote leaching of sewage down towards the water table. In that regard the outhouse is better than the cesspool. If you compost properly that is almost the best of all methods. If you cover the pile with enough clean grass clippings or wood chips there is no risk of flies or other vectors getting at it and with no additional water there is basically nothing to leach. These are big ifs though and I don't blame the county for discouraging composting toilets. Just look at how many people dump their garbage along the road. Those people don't have it in them to properly manage a clean and safe humanure composting system. That would require effort.

[Kapoho Joe]

I grew up with an outhouse, no problems. My parents did not have indoor plumbing until they were senior citizens. They did not however, run a generator 24/7...

[terracore]

"I have UV and did a bacteria test that was iffy. We drink bottled or station water only. I wonder if another filter might help."

My UV system requires that the water pass through a 5 micron filter before it hits the UV system. If you follow the instructions and don't let the UV lamp go past it's designed age, there should be nothing iffy about it. Also the quartz sleeve has to be cleaned or changed at regular intervals (depends on individual unit). A properly functioning filtration and UV system should be cleaner/safer than drinking bottled water. Our TDS meter shows our catchment water is cleaner* than any bottled water we've measured.

* TDS meters only detect dissolved solids, and are not an indication that water is safe to drink, though it can measure if water is unsafe to drink.