A scoping meeting last week at Keaau High School about the future of wastewater treatment services for Puna residents drew fewer audience members than government officials and consultants.
“We’re not here for specific site solutions at this stage. Once those are identified, we’ll come back and give some more site-specific assessments,” said Aaron Weieneth, an environmental planner for AECOM, the consultant that prepared an environmental impact statement preparation notice about Puna wastewater services published Sept. 23.
The preliminary document, financed by disaster recovery funds for the 2018 Kilauea eruption, identified these communities for some type of wastewater treatment: Keaau, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Pahoa, Kurtistown, Mountain View, Volcano, ‘Ainaloa. Orchidland Estates, Glenwood and Hawaiian Beaches.
Other sites, including Leilani Estates, Nanawale Estates, Kapoho and Kaimu/Pohikau, are listed as “future location(s) subject to community review.”
“Puna’s a large area, and we’re looking to have a higher-level feasibility assessment of provision of wastewater services across the district. We don’t know all the site-specific project solutions yet. … We’re working through some of that,” Weieneth said. “By the time we get to the draft environmental impact statement publication, we’ll have some alternatives on the table … and we’ll have a lot more of the big picture for people to look.”
There is no county wastewater service in Puna, but state law requires all cesspools in the state be connected to a sewer system or be upgraded to a septic or aerobic treatment unit by Jan. 1, 2050. There currently are about 16,000 cesspools in Puna that discharge about 8.5 million gallons of untreated raw sewage effluent daily.
“It’s not insignificant when you look at the overall flow. This is pretty much all going into the ground, about 8.5 million gallons a day,” Weieneth said.
Puna resident Bill McClellan said he knows several private well owners in Puna whose wells are contaminated.
“That’s why the state mandated us to convert these systems by 2050. There’a a lot of people on cesspools,” county Environmental Management Director Ramzi Mansour replied.
Puna resident April Bullis asked if there is “any discussion of things that would offset the need for a wastewater treatment plant.” She also inquired about incentives for incinerator-type septic systems “versus an option that would still require some type of water treatment.”
Mansour said those are things that will be discussed.
“If you live off the grid, far away, there’s no way we could connect you to a sewer,” Mansour said “You have options. … We cannot go to your house.”
Jared Gates mentioned grant funding for the EIS.
“Is there additional funding that’s already in place for putting the project together?” he asked.
“You’ve got to take it a step at a time,” Mansour said. “First, review and study. … Then, we will go after the funds to fund the project.”
“And is part of the intent to develop infrastructure for future growth, as well?” Gates inquired.
“That is the intent,” Mansour replied. “When we look at it, we don’t look at it as only today.”
Public comments about the preliminary document are being taken until Sept. 23 at https://bit.ly/3SGxrGH.
Target date for publication of a draft EIS is March 23, 2023, with a final EIS publication slated for Sept. 8, 2023.
At noon Thursday, Puna Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz is hosting a Zoom meeting with DEM officials and AECOM, followed by an opportunity for public members to ask questions and make comments. To register for the meeting, go online to tinyurl.com/punawwpeis.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.