Estimates say there are 90,000 cesspools in use across the Hawaiian Islands, and now their days are numbered. This spring, the state Legislature passed and Gov. David Ige signed a bill that will require most of those cesspools to be converted to septic systems or ATUs, or require those properties to connect to a municipal sewer system. This must happen by Jan. 1, 2050.Act 125 allows for some cesspools to remain. The state health director may grant exemptions if property owners present documents showing a legitimate reason why conversion would not work. Those reasons include small lot sizes, steep topography,
