HomeMy WebLinkAbout22-03-16 DEM Pahala Public Meeting PR
County of Hawai‘i
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
345 Kekūanāoʻa Street, Suite 41 · Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 · cohdem@hawaiicounty.gov
Ph: (808) 961-8083 · Fax: (808) 961-8086
County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer
Ramzi I. Mansour
Director
Brenda Iokepa-Moses
Deputy Director
Mitchell D. Roth
Mayor
Lee Lord
Managing Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2022
Contact: Cyrus Johansen: (808) 961-8316
COUNTY SCHEDULES INFORMATIONAL PUBLIC MEETING
REGARDING PĀHALA WASTEWATER FOR MARCH 16
The Department of Environmental Management will hold an informational public meeting
regarding wastewater treatment at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, at the Pāhala Community
Center, 96-1149 Kamani Street.
On June 22, 2017, Hawai‘i County entered into an administrative order on consent with the
United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) to close the existing Pāhala Large
Capacity Cesspools and provide secondary wastewater treatment to Pāhala residents.
In January 2021, the Roth administration determined that the Lagoon Wastewater Treatment
system was excessively expensive, inefficient, disruptive, and ultimately unfeasible. Hawai‘i
County has requested approval from EPA to take a new path, and is gathering community input
on its proposal.
Representatives from DEM and other departments will be present to answer questions about
ongoing efforts to update the connections to the houses currently connected to the large capacity
cesspools.
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