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Senate committee advances package of bills on cesspool conversions, disclosures and technology
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Summary
A Senate committee on March 23 advanced four related bills aimed at accelerating cesspool conversions, improving buyer disclosures and authorizing DOH‑approved wastewater technology, passing each with amendments and noting DOH funding and staffing requests.
The Senate committee moved forward a package of bills on cesspool conversions and disclosures, passing measures that would create a working group, limit deadline extensions, require clearer seller disclosures and permit limited continued use of some existing systems under DOH conditions.
The measures address both near‑term outreach and long‑term conversion planning as the state implements its 2050 cesspool‑phaseout goals. Chair (Senate) said the committee would pass HB 17 30 with amendments to give the Department of Health director discretion to set the working‑group size and make technical edits and that DOH's appropriation requests would be noted in the committee report.
Advocates and agency staff told the committee the work will require more DOH staff and technical advice. "Cesspools are too expensive and we need to find ways to make them more effective and and less expensive so that people can afford it," said Ted Bolen of the Hawaii Reef and Ocean Coalition. Kevin Hwu of the Department of Health described the issue as "very complex" and warned that, unless funding is available, "the responsibility is gonna be on the homeowner" for conversions and ongoing disposal needs.
Testimony emphasized technology and cost relief. Stewart Coleman of Wastewater Alternatives and Innovations highlighted passive and above‑ground systems and retrofit options to avoid expensive excavation on volcanic terrain, saying such approaches could reduce required leach‑field size and lower costs. Lindsay Garcia of the Hawaii Association of Realtors said the association supports a disclosure requirement and is updating standard forms but urged removing duplicative statutory form mandates so sellers and buyers have clarity.
The committee's written decisions: HB 17 30 (working group) was advanced with amendments clarifying DOH discretion over member counts and with technical edits. HB 19 85 was amended to delete a provision authorizing deadline extensions and was advanced; the committee said it is premature to give extensions with 24 years remaining until 2050. HB 17 49 was amended to adopt the Real Estate Commission's recommendation to avoid duplicative statutory forms and was advanced. HB 19 21 passed with amendments that require DOH‑approved wastewater technologies for any expansion of bedroom count and clarify priority levels using the state's cesspool prioritization tool.
Committee members also raised cost estimates. One member referenced earlier county figures of "around 1.5 to $2,000,000,000 for the Big Island alone" and pressed DOH on statewide totals; DOH reiterated that funding and technological innovation are needed to reduce homeowner burdens. DOH also noted a staffing request ("for 2 positions was approximately 207,000").
The committee adopted the recommendations for each bill with members recorded as in favor and some members excused; all adopted recommendations will be included in the committee report and bills advance to the next legislative step.
