The ʻĀina Force blog
Straight answers about cesspools.
Where the wastewater goes, what the law actually requires, and what conversion really involves — for Hawaiʻi Island homeowners.
Cost & value · 9 min read
What does the cesspool law mean for my wallet and my home’s value?
A 7-minute video and the full, sourced story: a median $40,000 conversion, what it means for home values and buyers, and the help that exists today.
October 11, 2026
The basics · 6 min read
Do I really have to replace my cesspool?
A 90-second video and the full answer: yes, by 2050, under State law. What a cesspool does under your yard, why the deadline exists, and what to do first.
October 11, 2026
Water & health · 8 min read
Is Hawaiʻi’s ocean full of sewage?
Cesspools send millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into Hawaiʻi Island’s groundwater every day. Here’s what that means for the ocean — and for you.
October 7, 2026
The process · 6 min read
What actually happens when you replace a cesspool?
Who comes to your yard, what they dig, what the State checks, and what can slow it down: the real sequence of a cesspool conversion on Hawaiʻi Island.
October 7, 2026
Funding · 5 min read
How will we ever pay for a cesspool conversion?
A median conversion on Hawaiʻi Island costs about $40,000. What help exists today, what Act 204’s new HGIA loan fund may offer, and how to get ready.
October 7, 2026
Priority areas · 6 min read
My property is Priority 3. Does that mean I can relax?
What the State’s cesspool priority tiers actually measure, where Hawaiʻi Island lands, and why every tier still shares the same 2050 deadline.
October 7, 2026
Your property · 6 min read
Is my lot too small — or too rocky — for a septic system?
Why soil, rock, slope, groundwater and space decide what can replace a cesspool on Hawaiʻi Island, and what engineers look at when a site is hard.
October 7, 2026
Myths & facts · 6 min read
Can my cesspool just wait until 2050?
Shoreline deadlines, home sales, “just add a septic tank”: the things Hawaiʻi homeowners hear about cesspools, checked against what the rules actually say.
October 7, 2026
