The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday that enforcement actions over the past year in Hawaii led to closures of five large-capacity cesspools and more than $104,000 in fines.

The closures include:

• LuckyU Enterprises Inc.: “The company failed to close three LCCs associated with the restaurant known as Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck, Oahu. LuckyU agreed to pay $62,143 under the settlement and is currently working towards connecting to the nearby county sewer line by the end of 2019.”
• Kailua View Estates Association Inc.: “EPA inspectors found an LCC associated with the recreation center at the Kailua View Estates, Hawaii. The center hosts events with up to 100 guests supporting the Kailua View Estates subdivision. Under the settlement, KVEA will pay $12,000, close the LCC, and replace it with a state approved septic system.”
• Kamuela Management LLC: “The company failed to close an LCC associated with a multi-business commercial property in Kealakekua, Hawaii. Kamuela Management has agreed to pay $30,000 under the settlement and has been working with the County of Hawaii to develop a replacement wastewater system.”

In a press release, EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker said the agency would continue to “identify and close the remaining large capacity cesspools in Hawaii.

The reason for the enforcement is to help protect drinking water and coastal water resources. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA banned large-capacity cesspools in 2005.

In 2017, Hawaii passed Act 125, which the EPA said requires “the replacement of all cesspools by 2050. It is estimated that there are approximately 90,000 cesspools in Hawaii.”

Since then, more than 3,400 LCCs have been closed statewide, “ut many hundreds remain in operation.”