Cesspool to Septic Conversion in East Hawaii

Cesspool to Septic Conversion

Hawaii has set a deadline for every cesspool in the state to be converted or closed, and nowhere does that land harder than East Hawaii, where whole subdivisions were built on cesspools drilled into the lava. A conversion means closing the pit and installing a permitted individual wastewater system in its place: typically a septic tank with a leach field or seepage bed, or an aerobic treatment unit where the lot is too small or too wet for a conventional field. We handle cesspool-to-septic conversions across Hilo, Puna and the Hamakua coast, from the site evaluation and the design that the Department of Health requires through the excavation, the tank and field installation, and the final inspection. Lava changes everything about this work. There is little or no soil, so most fields here are built on imported fill, and a lot that looks flat and easy may sit on a lava tube or on pahoehoe that will not break without a hammer. We look at your lot first, tell you which system actually fits it, and give you a real number before anything is dug.

What the deadline means for you today

The state has set a conversion deadline for all cesspools, with the Department of Health deciding priorities and exceptions. For most homeowners that means a decision on your own schedule rather than an emergency, and converting early tends to mean more contractor availability and more choice of system. A failing pit, a sale or a remodel are the three things that usually move the date up. We will tell you where your cesspool stands and what your realistic window is.

Designing a system for lava rock

A conventional leach field needs soil to filter and absorb the water. Much of Puna has none, so a conversion here usually means a raised bed of approved fill over the rock, sized to the house and the lot, or an aerobic treatment unit that does more of the treatment in the tank and needs less ground. Catchment tanks, property lines, the house and the driveway all constrain where a field can go on a one-acre lot. We work with the designer, pull the permit and build what was approved.

Honest cost before the excavator shows up

Conversion prices vary a lot from one lot to the next because the rock, the access and the system type all differ. We will not quote a number over the phone that changes once we dig. We walk the lot, confirm the system that fits, and give you a written price that covers the permit, the design, the excavation, the tank, the field or unit, closing the old cesspool, and the inspection.

What’s included

• Site evaluation and system recommendation for your lot and household
• Design and Department of Health permit handled for you
• Septic tank with leach field or seepage bed, or an aerobic treatment unit where needed
• Raised beds on imported fill for lots with no native soil
• Old cesspool pumped, closed and filled to code
• Final inspection and the paperwork a buyer or lender asks for