This and That

Happy New Year! Let’s make this a great, positive year, OK?

The Cesspool Problem

Every day in Hawaii, 88,000 cesspools release nearly 53 million gallons of untreated sewage into the ground, adversely affecting groundwater and coastal waters. Most homeowners are probably not aware that all cesspools in Hawaii will need to be closed by 2050, only 28 years from now, sooner than a new 30-year mortgage term. To accomplish this, a variety of solutions will need to be implemented, such as connection to existing sewage systems where possible, new package plants for smaller, remote neighborhoods, upgrading individual systems to septic tanks, etc.

Waialua Town Hall

Rep. Matsumoto and I are hosting an online presentation by WAI, Wastewater Alternatives and Innovations, on January 27th, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. The meeting is targeted for Waialua residents due to the high concentration of cesspools in the area, but it is open to all. I helped host a similar presentation for Kahaluu a few months back. Please register at tinyurl.com/townhallwaialua and login for this informative meeting.

Laniakea

The parking area at Laniakea was temporarily closed due to the mud bog created by the rains. The city is looking into laying out gravel to help provide a more reliable surface, and the DOT is planning to alter the barrel locations to widen the service area and move the crosswalks closer to the bus stops. Keep in mind this is a temporary test project that can be modified while DOT considers longer range solutions.

Kawaihapai (Dillingham) Airfield

We continue to work with DOT Airports, the Army and the non-airport water users on repairing the leaky water system and transferring it to a new entity, probably a cooperative. It is a complicated exercise, but must, and will, be resolved. The threat of early closure was removed in late September, so the existing lease remains in effect until 2024. The Army and DOT-A continue to work on term of a long-term lease extension. We have made great progress, but the job is not yet done.

Kukaniloko

A blessing and dedication was recently held for the installation of a new marker along Kamehameha Hwy at Kukaniloko. While other regions around Oahu are known as moku, this area is known as a kalana and it includes four areas: Kukaniloko, Lihue, Halemano, and Wahiawa.