Puerto Rico
EFCWest is working in Puerto Rico and Hawaii to protect island waters and better understand problems facing wastewater capture and treatment.
In the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 96% of the island’s drinking water needs are served by the Puerto Rican Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA). However, PRASA only operates 51 wastewater systems, while there are over 500,000 individual septic systems and 18 small publicly-owned wastewater treatment systems serving 41% of the population. These septic systems are regulated by various Puerto Rican agencies, however, with 43% of the Island’s population living in poverty, many households and communities do not have the financial, technical or operational capacity to adhere to the regulations. As a result, and according to a 2020 Rand Corporation report: “in many cases [septic systems] are improperly maintained, unsealed, and often discharge raw sewage directly into coastal, surface and groundwater bodies.”[1] In response, EFCWest will work with rural non-PRASA communities to better understand the barriers and opportunities to improve the maintenance and operation of non-compliant septic systems.
In 2023 EFCWest will:
§ Host two Community Wastewater Needs Assessment Workshops with OSAN communities to identify the critical issues that impact rural wastewater treatment,
§ Implement informal interviews with community leaders to refine the barriers, and
§ Work with Corolla to identify low-cost opportunities to help poor rural non-PRASA communities improve their wastewater procedures.
Hawaii
In Hawaii, there are approximately 88,000 cesspools, releasing an estimated 53 million gallons per day of wastewater into the environment. Since over 90 percent of the State’s drinking water supplies are from groundwater sources, cesspools have been designated as a potential environmental and public health risk. As a result, the Hawaii State Legislature passed Act 125 in 2017 mandating that by January 1, 2050, all cesspools in the State, unless granted exemption, shall upgrade or convert to a septic or aerobic treatment unit, or connect to a sewer system. The purpose of this project is to perform a pilot demonstration for the successful implementation of small, decentralized wastewater treatment and disposal systems for cesspool conversions in Hawaii’s rural communities. The pilot project will provide training and technical assistance on CWA compliance and sustainable management to owners and operators with an emphasis on NPDES permits to address public health risks; conduct preliminary engineering evaluations to assess WW treatment, storage, and conveyance system issues and identify low-cost alternatives; work with POTWs & DWTS to conduct analyses on the potential benefits of partnerships and collaboration with other systems including assistance forming RMEs; train community leaders, service providers, and regulatory officials to assist in consideration of infrastructure construction alternatives; facilitate certification of installers and operators; and develop and/or provide online and hard copy information and materials on topics of interest to homeowners, such as DWTS construction, maintenance and operation, testing, water quality and protection and state/tribal/local regulations. As a result of this demonstration project, educational tools, materials, and concepts will be developed that can be applied to other rural communities throughout the U.S.
[1] https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2608.html
