Fellows mentioned in this story: Stuart Coleman

From Hawai‘i Business Magazine:

Government leaders including Gov. Josh Green and House Speaker Nadine Nakamura have made cesspool conversions a top priority of the state. Officials say they are creating a cesspool conversion implementation group to find solutions, but the Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) is working to come up with a clear strategic plan.

The only place in the U.S. that has more cesspools than Hawai‘i is Suffolk County on Long Island outside of New York City. Hawai‘i still has the most per capita, but Suffolk County has more than four-and-a-half times as many with over 380,000. The legacy of cesspools there has created serious threats to the environment, human health and the economy that can serve as lessons for Hawai‘i.

As different as they are, Long Island and Hawai‘i share many intriguing parallels. Both experienced boom and bust cycles of rapid residential development, resulting in a lack of planning and sanitation infrastructure. The result was a proliferation of cesspools, sewage pollution and water quality issues.

What happened in Suffolk County is a cautionary tale of what can happen in Hawai‘i if the problem goes untreated. But it is also an inspiring story of how a group of government leaders found a way to deal with the problem. Their solutions provide a template for Hawai‘i and other states to follow.

Continue reading at HawaiiBusiness.com.