The recent partial collapse of an Oʻahu home into the ocean at Kammies Beach has raised a number of environmental concerns, including what's to be done with the property's cesspools.
Emergency demolition began on a house located at 59-147 Ke Nui Road last week after its lanai cracked and fell onto the beach.
The shoreline below the house is severely eroded, and the state had previously fined the homeowner, Joshua VanEmmerik, thousands of dollars for erecting illegal shoreline barriers.
VanEmmerik also owns the adjoining property located at 59-147 A Ke Nui Road. Honolulu's Department of Planning Director Dawn Apuna told HPR on Monday that the agency expected the house on the second property to be demolished as well, but had yet to receive formal notice.
Two engineers with the state Department of Health's Wastewater Branch went to the site on Monday.
Records show that both properties have cesspools, but the engineers were unable to confirm their exact locations or statuses. They did not observe any immediate health hazards.
DOH Wastewater Branch project manager Jonathan Nagato said the engineers will return once demolition is complete. He hoped the cesspools were structurally sound and empty of waste.
"But worst case scenario, it could be filled with a lot of human waste that [they] have to clean out," he said. "If it doesn't have structural lining, the bricks could be falling in — that's also a concern."
The state has roughly 88,000 cesspools. Cesspools near shorelines are a particular concern, as the untreated waste may pose a risk to nearby reef systems and the health of beachgoers.
State officials notified VanEmmerik almost a year ago that both houses were "at risk of failure" and urged him to "work quickly with the [Department of Planning and Permitting] to relocate the two residences to a safe location."
"It's not a surprise at all that this happened," said Denise Antolini, a retired professor of law at the University of Hawaiʻi and a North Shore resident.
"What's surprising is that he took no preventative action to stop the collapse of the home into the beach and the destruction of the beach," she added.
VanEmmerik could not be reached for comment.
