State proposing cesspool changes

LIHUE The Kauai Board of Realtors and the Hawaii Association of Realtors are opposing revisionsto wastewater regulations being proposed by theDepartment of Health.

A public meeting on cesspool, septic system and other wastewater related regulations is scheduled at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Kauai District Health Office, 3040 Umi Street.A second meeting to discuss the proposed revisions will be held at the same location from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Monday.

The Department of Health is seeking to expedite the transition from cesspool to septic or a new form of wastewater system on every property in the state of Hawaii.

The proposed rule changes adopt the same requirements that other states already use to upgrade existing cesspools, said Sina Pruder, DOH Wastewater branch chief.

Proposed revisions would prohibit the installation of new cesspools and require sewer connections or upgrades to a septic system within 180 days after the sale of a property, business or residential. Businesses with large capacity cesspools were already required by EPA laws to upgrade in 2005.

According to the Board of Realtors, buyers and sellers would be adversely affected by this mandate due to cost and the financing repercussions.

The board called for a common sense approach to managing wastewater.

It is easy to pass idealistic legislation without considering what you are doing to the individuals it is affecting, a press release said. There is no rational nexus between the point-of-sale requirement being proposed and a strict mandate to change the system except that you have a captive audience.

Lee Morey, president of the Kauai Board of Realtors, said she encourages homeowners to read the proposed changes and comment to the DOH. She said homeowners should consider that a new septic system is costly and not easy to finance.

If seller even had the ability to install a new wastewater system, a $15,000 to $25,000 cost in many cases could make the difference in breaking even on a sale or having a short sale, according to a press release.

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State proposing cesspool changes