Catalyzing Cesspool Conversions with Responsible Management Entities

waterreports
Written By Jack Travis

By Jack Travis and Janet Pritchard

The Hawaiʻi goal of replacing its 83,000 cesspools by 2050 will require more than individual homeowner action—it will require scalable, community-based solutions.

Developed through a collaboration between the Environmental Policy Innovation Center and The Nature Conservancy, this whitepaper explores how Responsible Management Entities (RMEs) can help communities organize, finance, and manage decentralized wastewater systems, while identifying state policy barriers that limit access to critical funding. Download the whitepaper to learn how Hawaiʻi can expand Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) eligibility and accelerate affordable cesspool conversions across the state.

Download Whitepaper
Jack Travis

Jack is the Water Law Fellow at EPIC. He recently graduated from NYU School of Law with a JD. As a student, he interned at EPIC, NRDC, and the Office of the New York Attorney General and was the digital executive editor of the Review of Law and Social Change. Jack previously worked as a healthcare technology project manager and consultant. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Next

LSL Policy Lowdown: July 20–26, 2026