It was hugely disappointing that the state Legislature failed to take any necessary action against cesspools this past session, not passing even one of at least 10 bills proposed. This, despite a comprehensive report and clear-eyed guidance given them at the start of session by a volunteer cesspool conversion working group within the state Department of Health (DOH), which had been meeting for four years.

Legislators must return next year, with a committed mindset to make headway against the known environmental dangers posed by festering cesspools — shallow, underground holes used for the disposal of untreated human waste. Cesspools potentially release disease-causing pathogens into oceans, streams and groundwater, a queasy situation in a state that relies on groundwater for more than 90% of its drinking water.

To be sure, cesspool conversion is not an inexpensive proposition, estimated at $30,000 to $40,000. But consider that Hawaii’s 83,000 cesspools discharge an estimated 50 million gallons of raw sewage daily into groundwater and surface waters across the state. High levels of enterococci, which are often near cesspools, consistently appear in waters where people swim, such as Cromwell’s Beach in East Oahu, pockets of Kailua and Kahaluu, and rural stretches from Hauula to Kahuku.

Lawmakers need to check out the new online Hawaii Cesspool Prioritization Tool, launched by the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program in conjunction with the DOH. Cesspools are mapped based on 15 risk factors; Priority 1 cesspools have the greatest potential to affect human health and the environment. The interactive map showing sites of the state’s highest-priority cesspools can surely help to guide conversions.

A 2017 Hawaii law requires that all cesspools be upgraded, converted or connected to a sewer by 2050. This year, based on the working group’s recommendation, Senate Bill 426 rightly aimed to move up timelines to require Priority 1 cesspools be upgraded, converted or connected by 2035; Priority 2 cesspools by 2040.

Unfortunately, the bill didn’t get far. Next session, legislators need to stop kicking this “can” down the road. It should pass SB 426, along with other measures to enable the DOH to go after federal funding to help fund grants for cesspool conversions, plus other initiatives such as tax credits to help financially incentivize conversions, sooner rather than later.