Bill Text: HI HR212 | 2023 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Requesting Each County To Develop A Comprehensive Integrated Wastewater Management Plan And Financial Strategy To Upgrade, Convert, Or Connect Cesspools Located Within Its Respective Jurisdiction By 2050.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-03-30 - Resolution adopted in final form. [HR212 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2023-HR212-Amended.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
212 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE RESOLUTION
REQUESTING EACH COUNTY TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATED WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN AND FINANCIAL STRATEGY TO UPGRADE, CONVERT, OR CONNECT CESSPOOLS LOCATED WITHIN ITS RESPECTIVE JURISDICTION BY 2050.
WHEREAS, there are approximately 83,000 cesspools across the State, with 48,596 on the island of Hawaii; 14,300 on Kauai; 11,038 on Maui; 7,491 on Oahu; and 1,400 on Molokai; and
WHEREAS, Act 125, Session Laws of Hawaii 2017, requires every cesspool in the State, excluding cesspools granted exemptions by the Director of Health, to be upgraded or converted to a Director-approved wastewater system or connected to a sewerage system by January 1, 2050; and
WHEREAS, according to the Cesspool Conversion Working Group Final Report to the 2023 Regular Session Legislature, the cost of conversions to most private and residential property owners is significant, ranging from an estimated collective total of $880,000,000 to more than $5,300,000,000, with only three percent of all residents unburdened by the cost to convert; and
WHEREAS, many properties in rural areas, especially on the neighbor islands, may not have existing county infrastructure that allows for easy upgrade, conversion, or connection; and
WHEREAS, undertaking a massive infrastructure project, such as converting 83,000 cesspools by 2050, requires proper planning and administration across various stakeholders and governmental institutions, including those of the counties; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that each county is requested to develop a comprehensive integrated wastewater management plan and financial strategy to upgrade, convert, or connect cesspools located within its respective jurisdiction by 2050; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that each county is requested to include the following information in its comprehensive integrated wastewater management plan and financial strategy:
(1) Planned connections to centralized public and private treatment systems;
(2) Locations where individualized treatment systems will be needed;
(3) Locations where smaller-scale cluster treatment systems may be used;
(4) Individual treatment system needs for homes having cesspools, including whether there is appropriate existing infrastructure capacity to handle the upgrade, conversion, or connection of cesspools by 2050; and
(5) Financial needs, funding mechanisms, and financing strategies to assist with cesspool upgrades, conversions, or connections; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that each county is requested to submit its respective comprehensive integrated wastewater management plan and financial strategy, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, Mayor of the County of Hawaii, Mayor of the County of Maui, and Mayor of the County of Kauai.
Cesspools; Conversion; Counties; Comprehensive Integrated Wastewater Management Plan and Financial Strategy; Report
