image from the Hawaiʻi County Department of Environmental Management website shows the Pāhala project area.

Meeting on Kaʻū Cesspool Closures Set for August 20

Big Island Video News

Aug 7, 2026

STORY SUMMARY

NĀʻĀLEHU, Hawaiʻi - The semi-annual meeting to be held at the Nāʻālehu Community Center will discuss the closure of large capacity cesspools in Pāhala and Nāʻālehu.

(BIVN) – A semi-annual meeting on Kaʻū wastewater projects is set for Thursday, August 20th, in Nāʻālehu. 

The County of Hawaiʻi is inviting the public to discuss the closure of large capacity cesspools in Pāhala and Nāʻālehu. The Department of Environmental Management will provide updates related to the projects in both communities. 

The closure of the large capacity cesspools are required under an Administrative Order of Consent issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The cesspools are being replaced with new wastewater systems, the County says. 

According to the Hawaiʻi County Department of Environmental Management, the new collection system in Pahala will connect 109 existing LCC-served properties (green) and provide access to an additional 65 parcels (purple).

The meeting will be held at the at the Nāʻālehu Community Center, 95-5635 Hawaiʻi Belt Road at 6 p.m. HST. At the meeting, the Department of Environmental Management will discuss updates related to the projects in both communities. 

About The Featured Image

According to the Hawaiʻi County Department of Environmental Management, 164 properties in the Nā‘ālehu community are connected to Large Capacity Cesspools (LCCs). An additional 30 lots, highlighted in purple, are not connected to the LCCs but are accessible to the new wastewater treatment system. The lots in the orange area are not connected to the large capacity cesspools but could become accessible to the new treatment system in the future.


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