FEMA Invests $19.4 Million in Sewer Line Extension to Support Group Housing Site and Neighboring Community

YouTube Video Here: Kilohana Sewer Project: Upgrading Infrastructure for a Stronger Community

LAHAINA, MAUI – A sewer line being built for FEMA’s Kilohana Temporary Group Housing Site will have long-term benefits for Lahaina. 

To provide Kilohana with access to the County of Maui’s sewer system, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and its partners had to work to extend the existing sewage system to the site. The extension runs through the neighboring community of Wahikuli that is currently using cesspools. Once complete, the Kealamoka Fleming Road Sewer Line will support both the group housing site and properties along Fleming Road and Malo Street. 

“We’re not only helping in the short term, but any project we do we’re looking at long term and building resiliency in the community as we help the community recover,” says FEMA Regional Administrator Robert Fenton. 

For the first time 29 lots on Fleming Road will have access to a modern county sewer system. Nineteen of these properties were damaged or destroyed by the Maui wildfires on Aug. 8, 2023. As residents work to rebuild, many considerations have been made on how to improve living conditions in the process. 

Cesspools, such as those historically used in the Wahikuli neighborhood, pose significant environmental risks such as contaminating the surrounding soil, groundwater, oceans and streams. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), groundwater provides approximately 95% of all domestic water in Hawai‘i.

FEMA awarded a $19.4 million contract to extend sewer lines running to the Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility, which is managed by the County of Maui, to ensure the health, safety and resilience of the entire community.  

Since July 10, 2024, FEMA, USACE, local Maui contractors, and the County of Maui, have worked together to install 2,500 feet of sewer line. The project consists of: 

• 1,500 linear feet of 8-inch sewer main running down Fleming Road
• 1,000 linear feet of 12-inch sewer main on Malo Street
• 28 laterals running to survivor’s properties
• 11 sewer manholes

In addition to the sewer extension, the EPA and the County of Maui are conducting an environmental review and design of a gravity sewer system for the remaining area of the Wahikuli neighborhood. Community outreach for this project continues with opportunities for public engagement. The EPA also offered homeowners cesspool assessments to produce the necessary documentation needed to submit for a rebuild permit and temporarily use their cesspool prior to the construction of a sewer system. 

As neighborhood residents rebuild, they will need to connect to the new sewer and must obtain sewer permits from the county’s Department of Public Works Development Services Administration (DSA) and properly abandon their cesspool in accordance with the state Department of Health. 4LEAF is the county contractor expediting review and permitting of reconstruction in Lahaina and can assist in this process. The county sewer lines will be installed within 2 feet of the property owner’s lot line and owners can then work with their plumbing contractor to attach to the line. 

More details about the permitting process may be found on the Maui County Disaster Recovery Building Permit website.

Through this project FEMA and its partners are supporting wildfire survivors as they return to West Maui. This improvement to the health and safety of Lahaina will benefit the community for years to come. 

For the latest information on the Maui wildfire recovery efforts, visit mauicounty.gov, mauirecovers.org, fema.gov/disaster/4724 and Hawaii Wildfires – YouTube. Follow FEMA on social media: @FEMARegion9 and facebook.com/fema. You may also get disaster assistance information and download applications at sba.gov/hawaii-wildfires.