2017-10-25 Environmental Management Commission Minutes

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Vice Chair Bennett said he was confused about what a qualified cesspool is. Commissioner Neff said it alludes to the idea that the County has okayed the cesspool. Ms. Morrison said that in order to be open-minded and inventive, other examples of small scale treatment systems should be considered. Commissioner Olson asked if that was something DEM should be working on. Ms. Morrison said it needs to be done, but the bigger question is who has the staff and time to do it. They met with DEM staff, and they all recognize there is an opportunity for smaller systems to serve the communities, possibly through a public/private partnership. Those options should be considered and evaluated. Commissioner Olson said that with Kapoho, for example, the state was the primary responsible body, and they just handed the ball to the county with Act 125. He asked whether the state wants to maintain some kind of oversight or if they’re just walking away. Ms. Morrison said the DOH still regulates the individual septic systems, but if a community wants to move away from individual systems, they’ll need to look at alternative strategies. Question from a member of the public: Jerome Warren asked if there was anything about wastewater in the plan. He said he looked through it and saw nothing but a vague reference. Ms. Morrison said that Kaūʻ, Nāālehu, and Pʻāhala have large-capacity cesspools that are being converted. Mr. Warren said they are not, they are being ignored, and the gang cesspools are dysfunctional because they create a plume large enough to contaminate the groundwater. Chair Fritz said they needed to move along and informed Mr. Warren that he could not pick apart everything during the meeting. Ms. Morrison moved to the next slide, regarding a 2016 amendment to Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes Section 174C-31. It is requiring 100% use of reclaimed water in state and county facilities by December 2045. This is another example of legislation that is well intended but may not be feasible. Ms. Morrison said there will be General Plan policy directions in order to deal with some of the issues. The language is not cast is stone yet, but is meant to give direction on things to consider. For wastewater, they will talk about prioritization and developing systems that are cost effective for smaller communities. They will develop a criteria based infrastructure prioritization tool to develop or expand wastewater systems. Possible criteria to consider would be having a mix of residential and commercial uses, redevelopment opportunities, existing built out areas facing regulatory constraints, or areas to focus on affordable housing. Again, advocating to the legislature, County Council, and DOH are options. The water reuse guidelines need to be revised to expand on the uses of reused water. The cesspool conversation tax credit possibly should be expanded, and standards need to be adopted for what those systems could look like to achieve the goals. 6