(BIVN) – A Large Capacity Cesspool in Puna must be closed, by order of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

The EPA says the cesspool belongs to Retreat Village at Kalani Kai, LLC. The cesspool is serving a campground restroom on property leased to Kalani Honua Inc. for use as a retreat center. They are required to close the cesspool by July 2025.

The EPA announced on Thursday that it has reached multiple settlement agreements with owners of Large Capacity Cesspools on Maui, and in the same news release announced the closure order for the cesspool at Kalani.

Mani Makai Reserve (DE) LLC, Walter A. Taylor Associates, Inc., Konohiki Corp., Joshua A. Stone Trust and Amy M. Stone Trust have reached settlement agreements and will close their properties’ illegal cesspools in Maui, the EPA says. 

Cesspools are potential sources of water contamination. From the EPA: 

Cesspools collect and release untreated raw sewage into the ground, where disease-causing pathogens and harmful chemicals can contaminate groundwater, streams, and the ocean.

The five cesspools named in these settlements meet the regulatory criteria of an unlawful non-residential Large Capacity Cesspool because they have the capacity to serve 20 or more persons per day.

Since the 2005 federal ban, more than 3,862 Large Capacity Cesspools in Hawai‘i have been closed; however, hundreds remain in operation. Cesspools are used more widely in Hawai‘i than any other state and present a unique challenge as groundwater provides 95 percent of all water supply for the islands.

“EPA will continue to uphold the law and protect the environment by taking enforcement action against operators of illegal Large Capacity Cesspools,” said Martha Guzman, EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator. “Every cesspool closed represents cleaner groundwater, surface water and beaches for Hawai‘i.”