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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE,2023 H .C.R.NO.
=HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE WASTEWATER BRANCH OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CONDUCT A
FEASIBILITY STUDY ON THE USE OF ORGANIC BIODEGRADABLE WATER
CLARIFIERS FOR CESSPOOL WATER REMEDIATION.
1 WHEREAS,there are approximately eighty—eight thousand
2 cesspools across the State,with nearly fifty thousand on Hawaii
3 island,almost fourteen thousand on Kauai,over twelve thousand
4 cn Maui,over eleven thousand on Oahu,and over one thousand
5 four hundred on Molokai;and
6
7 WHEREAS,cesspools are contaminating the State’s ground
8 water,streams,drinking water,and coastal ecosystems,and the
9 State is obligated to protect,control,and regulate the use of
10 the State’s water resources under article XI,section 7,of the
11 Hawaii State Constitution;and
12
13 WHEREAS,pursuant to Act 125,Session Laws of Hawaii 2017
14 (Act 125),every cesspool in the State,excluding cesspools
15 granted exemptions by the Director of Health,must be upgraded
16 or converted to an approved wastewater system or connected to a
17 sewerage system by January 1,2050;and
18
19 WHEREAS,Act 125 further directed the Department of Health
20 to investigate the number,scope,and location of cesspools that
21 required upgrade,conversion,or connection based on their
22 impact on public health;and
23
24 WHEREAS,Act 132,Session Laws of Hawaii 2018,established
25 the Cesspool Conversion Working Group to develop a long-range,
26 comprehensive plan for conversion of cesspools statewide by 2050
27 and commissioned a statewide study of sewage contamination in
28 nearshore marine areas to further supplement studies and reports
29 conducted by the Department of Health on cesspools;and
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1
2 WHEREAS,the Cesspool Conversion Working Group’s 2021
3 Hawaii cesspool hazard assessment and prioritization tool report
4 identified the following cesspool conversion priority
5 categories:
6
7 (1)Priority 1,which has significant risk of human health
8 impacts,drinking water impacts,or draining to
9 sensitive waters;
10
II (2)Priority 2,which has a potential impact to drinking
12 water;
13
14 (3)Priority 3,which has potential impacts on sensitive
15 waters;and
16
17 (4)Priority 4,which impacts have not been identified;
18 and
19
20 WHEREAS,while most of the cesspools in the State are
21 categorized as priority 3,a large number of cesspools are
22 categorized as priority 1 or 2,posing great health risks for
23 many residents;and
24
25 WHEREAS,there are approximately eighty-two thousand
26 cesspools that will be required to be upgraded or converted to
27 an approved wastewater system or connected to a sewer system by
28 2050;and
29
30 WHEREAS,on an annual basis,approximately one thousand
31 individual wastewater system applications are processed and
32 reviewed;and
33
34 WHEREAS,new wastewater management solutions could greatly
35 improve public health and save public funds,and technologies
36 that are reaching commercial scale for the first time include
37 solutions for individual homes,as well as multi-unit dwellings,
38 apartment buildings,and entire communities;and
39
40 WHEREAS,large wastewater management systems can remove
41 sewage from multi—unit dwellings and apartment buildings,and at
42 the municipal scale,these technologies can effectively treat
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H.C.R.NO.
1 sewage from entire communities for a small fraction of the cost
2 of existing technology now employed in Hawaii;and
3
4 WHEREAS,self-contained,self—powered,and self-cleaning
5 toilets can be used in homes that do not have the capacity to
6 connect to the existing sewer infrastructure;and
7
8 WHEREAS,one such promising technology is the use of an
9 organic,biodegradable water clarifier that is introduced
10 through an automated,long-lasting delivery device that is
11 inexpensive,tamper—proof,and solar-powered,with clear and
12 simple dosing instructions;and
13
14 WHEREAS,new technology such as a biodegradable water
15 clarifier may be a more cost—effective option for many
16 households to comply with Act 125,ensuring the health and
17 safety of residents of the State;now,therefore,
18
19 BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
20 Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii,Regular
21 Session of 2023,the Senate concurring,that the Wastewater
22 Branch of the Environmental Management Division of the
23 Department of Health is requested to conduct a feasibility study
24 on the use of organic biodegradable water clarifiers for
25 cesspool water remediation;and
26
27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Wastewater Branch of the
28 Environmental Management Division of the Department of Health is
29 requested to submit a report of its findings and
30 recommendations,including any proposed legislation,to the
31 Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of
32 the Regular Session of 2024;and
33
34 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this
35 Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.
36
OFFERED BY:u~i1L (~
MAR 102023
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