LIHUE — A grant program aimed at helping island residents convert cesspools on their properties has selected 100 recipients, each of whom are eligible to receive a $20,000 reimbursement.
LIHUE — A grant program aimed at helping island residents convert cesspools on their properties has selected 100 recipients, each of whom are eligible to receive a $20,000 reimbursement.
The County of Kauai Housing Agency said Wednesday it notified recipients via email. In order to receive the grant, recipients must acknowledge and confirm their interest by Nov. 4.
“A grant agreement must be signed to finalize the award,” the Housing Agency said in an update on the Residential Cesspool Conversion Grant Program.
“Please note that the Housing Agency will not ask for personal or financial information via phone or email. If you are unsure of the validity of the notice you may have received, please contact the Housing Agency directly at 808-241-4444.”
All applicants who did not receive an award have been placed on the program’s waitlist.
“Being placed on the waitlist indicates that the applicant will remain under consideration for potential funding if any of the initial 100 awardees do not accept the available funding,” the Housing Agency said.
Approximately 375 applications were submitted for the grant program, which began accepting applications in late August. The application period closed on Sept. 27.
“The grant program provides up to $20,000 reimbursement to upgrade existing cesspools to individual wastewater systems approved by the Hawaii State Department of Health-Wastewater Branch,” the Housing Agency said.
The Hawaii State – DOH Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund provided the money for the grant program.
The island of Kauai has approximately 14,000 cesspools that leach untreated sewage into the ground and directly into surface waterways during storm events, according to the Kauai 2023 Water Quality Report from the Surfrider Foundation.
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It’s misleading to say that 14,000 cesspools discharge waste into surface waters. Clearly that can be true for some, but for sure not all. Most cesspools percolate their liquid contents into the soils underneath and alongside them. Even storm events to not flow through most cesspools. If that were happening it would be an immediate close this cesspool situation by DOH.
We need legislature to advocate monies to fully look at multiple options to our cesspool issues… the more I learn the more I understand this is a complex issue!! This issue is the largest barrier to home building here on Kaua’i