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| Deputy Director of the county Department of Environmental Management, Brenda Iokepa-Moses, led a public meeting at Pahala Community Center on Wednesday to propose individual septic systems in yards of those now hooked up to the old plantation gang cesspool system. Photo by Julia Neal |
The county is looking for an affordable and timely solution to avoid fines from the EPA for operating gang cesspools that became illegal nationwide in 1999. The gang cesspools in Pāhala are holes in the ground for sewage that is piped from old sugar plantation houses. Some of the gang cesspools go down lava tubes.
Some impact from installing individual septic in yards, instead of a community wastewater treatment system, would occur within the yards themselves. To install septic, owners of lots 10,000 sq. ft. or larger, would be required to install leach fields. Portions of the yards would be cleared, with the likelihood of at least some trees cut down and their roots removed, along with the moving or removal of fences, walls, sidewalks, outbuildings and sections of driveways to install the septic tanks, pipe, and the leach fields. County representatives said they would repair or replace any damages to the yards.
The size of leach fields, depending on the type of soil and slope of the yard, averages about 1,000 square feet for a 2,500 sq. ft. three-bedroom home, according to websites of various septic system companies. County representatives said each lot has to be studied for soil type, slope and other factors before designing each system.
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| A conventional septic system. Image from EPA |
Maintenance of the septic systems could include pumping them about every five years. One idea brought up was that the homeowners could continue paying sewer fees, which they already pay to the county for maintaining the old plantation system. Once the septic is in, the fees would go towards pumping and possible other repairs, when needed.
One kink in the new septic system plan is that the EPA has already approved a wastewater treatment system for Pāhala and is pressing the county to go forward. County representatives pointed to the high cost of constructing the approved system on land it is acquiring for the project from Kamehameha Schools. The plan calls for a lagoon treatment system and requires cutting down a macadamia orchard and digging into land that has lava tubes and perhaps graves. They pointed to public objections to the location next to the Norfolk Pine entry to Pāhala and said the iconic trees could be disturbed under the lagoon plan, while approval of individual septic systems would mean the land goes back to Kamehameha Schools.
One kink in the new septic system plan is that the EPA has already approved a wastewater treatment system for Pāhala and is pressing the county to go forward. County representatives pointed to the high cost of constructing the approved system on land it is acquiring for the project from Kamehameha Schools. The plan calls for a lagoon treatment system and requires cutting down a macadamia orchard and digging into land that has lava tubes and perhaps graves. They pointed to public objections to the location next to the Norfolk Pine entry to Pāhala and said the iconic trees could be disturbed under the lagoon plan, while approval of individual septic systems would mean the land goes back to Kamehameha Schools.
To switch the plan from lagoon to individual septic, the county needs permission from the EPA. County representatives said they are looking for community support for their plan and mentioned that representatives from the EPA are coming to the island on April 6 to discuss the issue. They said that the septic systems, called Individual Wastewater Systems, could become a model project in Pāhala and move on to Nāʻālehu and other communities.
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"The Ka‘ū Forest Reserve is a critical watershed for the people of Ka‘ū." says the DLNR website. "The forest reserve’s water sources are used for domestic supplies as well as agriculture, and maintaining this water supply is important for the future viability of agriculture in Ka‘ū. The native forest replenishes springs and other groundwater, and reduces flooding and erosion.
Brenda Iokepa Moses, who is Deputy Director of the county Department of Environmental Management, is a Pāhala resident and led the meeting. She noted that discussions about the solution to the sewage problem have been contentious within the community and that she hoped the septic tank option for individual yards could help bring the community together. Also leading the meeting were the Director of Environmental Management, Ramzi Mansour and facilitator Jessie Marques. In attendance was County Council Chair Maile David and other public officials.
To ask questions, give input and for more information, email cohdem@hawaii.county.gov.
To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see www.facebook.com/kaucalendar/. See latest print edition at www.kaucalendar.com. See upcoming events at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html
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| Image from DLNR |
PERMITS FOR COLLECTING FOLIAGE, FRUIT, TREES AND MORE within the Hawai'i State Forest Reserves are now available online through the state Department of Land & Natural Resources. State Forest Reserves in Ka‘ū are Kapāpala Forest Reserve and Ka‘ū Forest Reserve.
Kapāpala Forest Reserve, on the slopes of Mauna Loa, was designated on Oct. 17, 1930 through a Governorʻs Proclamation. It consists of approximately 37,276 acres and lies above Mamalahoa Highway and northwest of Kīlauea crater. Activities are birdwatching, hiking and hunting.
"The Ka‘ū Forest Reserve is important for preserving Hawai'i’s unique native forest ecosystems and its species, including a wide variety of rare or endangered plants and animals. Endangered birds for which the continuing health of the forest reserve may be a critical factor include the ‘Akiapōlā‘au (Hemignathus munroi), Hawai‘i Creeper (Oreomystis mana) and Hawai‘i ‘Akepa (Loxops coccineus).
"The Ka‘ū Forest Reserve contains resources that are vital for maintaining Hawaiian culture and practices. Hawaiians consider native plants and animals as family and have a strong spiritual connection to the mountain landscape and the forest itself.
"The Ka‘ū Forest Reserve is an important area for public use including hunting, recreational opportunities, cultural uses, personal gathering, and educational programs and activities. Public access is allowed in the Reserve for recreational and cultural uses, including hunting, hiking and gathering of plant material (with a permit)."
The new permitting platform, developed by DLNR's Division of Forestry & Wildlife, covers personal-use collections and commercial harvesting. While commercial harvest permits are associated with a fee, permits for collecting items in quantities that are determined by DLNR as representing personal use are provided free of charge.
The new permitting platform, developed by DLNR's Division of Forestry & Wildlife, covers personal-use collections and commercial harvesting. While commercial harvest permits are associated with a fee, permits for collecting items in quantities that are determined by DLNR as representing personal use are provided free of charge.
People wishing to apply for permits on hardcopy can still do so at any DOFAW District office. The online permitting platform can be accessed under permit topic #5 on the (State Forest Reserve System Permits) DOFAW Permits website. http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dofaw/permits/
SEE UPCOMING EVENTS IN KAʻŪ & VOLCANO
at https://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2022/03/upcoming-events-for-kau-and-volcano.html.
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| See March edition of The Kaʻū Calendar newspaper at www.kaucalendar.com |