Public Meeting Scheduled to Discuss Pāhala Wastewater Treatment

Residents of the Pāhala area will have the chance to learn about the future of wastewater treatment for their community and give input during an upcoming informational public meeting.

The county Department of Environmental Management will conduct a public meeting regarding wastewater treatment at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, at the Pāhala Community Center located at 96-1149 Kamani St.

Hawai‘i County entered into an administrative order on consent with the Environmental Protection Agency on June 22, 2017, to close the existing Pāhala large capacity cesspools and provide secondary wastewater treatment to the community’s residents.

In January 2021, Mayor Mitch Roth’s administration determined that the lagoon wastewater treatment system was excessively expensive, inefficient, disruptive and ultimately unfeasible. The county has requested approval from the EPA to take a new path and is gathering community input on its proposal.

Representatives from Environmental Management and other departments will be present to answer questions about ongoing efforts to update the connections to the houses currently connected to the large capacity cesspools.