Septic Installation & Cesspool Conversion in Orchidland Estates
We install septic systems and convert cesspools in Orchidland Estates, a short drive from our equipment yard in Keaau. Orchidland is smaller than its neighbor Hawaiian Paradise Park, but it has its own road association with a court judgment behind its fees, a firm rule about the right of way, and lava tubes that the association itself warns about.
Orchidland at a Glance
- Population: 3,165 in the 2020 Census, up from 2,815 in 2010.
- Housing units: 1,264 in 2020, up from 1,139 in 2010. Only 6.8 percent stood vacant.
- Lots: 2,490 according to the deeds, as described by a lot owner in a 2019 Civil Beat piece. The Orchidland Community Association (OLCA) says it serves “over 2000 properties.”
- Lot sizes: parcels were sold at a quarter acre to 3 acres, zoned agricultural, with private roads and no utilities.
- When subdivided: the permits were issued in the late 1950s, before statehood, at the same time as HPP and Hawaiian Acres.
- Area and elevation: 9.71 square miles, about 518 feet above sea level at the census center point.
- Rainfall: about 145 inches a year near the center, per the UH Rainfall Atlas.
- Lava: Orchidland sits on the Ailaau (Kualoloa) pahoehoe flow field from the early 1400s, per USGS. It’s in Lava Hazard Zone 3.
- Water and sewer: OLCA says water comes “almost exclusively” from roof catchment, with no city water and no sewer.
Lava Tubes, Thin Soil and System Design
Orchidland is part of the same 15th-century flow field that carried lava through the Kazumura lava tube system, which USGS describes as the longest known continuous lava tube in the world. Tubes are part of this ground. OLCA’s own FAQ, talking about clearing land with a D9 bulldozer, notes a “slight risk” of a dozer falling through a lava tube.
For septic work, that means two things. First, we watch for voids as we dig, and your engineer may need to adjust the layout if we find one. Second, the rock is fractured pahoehoe, so the leach field must be a soil replacement system under HAR 11-62. That means a trench cut into the lava and refilled with suitable material, with its bottom at least three feet above groundwater. The engineer’s perc test and soil profile tell us how much rock work your lot needs.
At about 145 inches of rain a year, wet weather is also a scheduling factor. Gravel side roads soften and spoil piles turn to mud, so we plan the heavy work around the forecast when we can.
Who Needs a System in Orchidland
With roughly 2,000 to 2,500 lots and 1,264 housing units counted in 2020, Orchidland still has plenty of vacant land, so a good share of the work is new construction on raw lots. Your septic design has to be approved by DOH before the county will sign off on the building permit, so it belongs early in your plans. Our new home septic requirements article covers the sequence.
Older homes are the other half. Back in 2005, OLCA’s FAQ told builders that cesspools were still allowed on 3-acre lots “but maybe not much longer.” The statewide ban came in March 2016. So an Orchidland home built before 2016 may well sit on a cesspool, and state law gives each of those until the start of 2050 to be replaced. Most owners don’t wait that long:
- Adding a bedroom or ohana. A permit that increases bedrooms gives DOH grounds to require the upgrade, and the definition of a bedroom is broad.
- A cesspool that needs pumping more than twice a year, which is another discretionary DOH trigger.
- Selling. The law doesn’t require conversion at sale, but our buying and selling guide explains why buyers ask.
Orchidland’s Road Association and Its 1992 Judgment
This is what sets Orchidland apart. OLCA formed in 1979 as a voluntary group. In 1991, it filed a class action against property owners to make road fees mandatory, and its FAQ says it received a judgment in 1992 granting it authority to collect Mandatory Road Maintenance Assessments (MRMAs). Those fees can only be spent on roads. For 2022 to 2023, the MRMA was $250; members approve the rate each year by mail-in ballot.
The money covers about 40 miles of roads. Pohaku, Laniuma, Orchidland and Aulii are paved near the highway, and the association resealed 3.6 miles of chip-sealed road in 2015. Most side streets are gravel, and a few areas are still dirt tracks. OLCA’s history page notes the developers’ original cinder roads washed out in the rain.
For a septic job, two rules matter:
- Keep everything on your lot. OLCA says nothing may be placed onto its right of way, and it lists driveways, rocks, fences and rubbish among the examples. Excavated rock, fill piles and the tank itself all have to stay inside your property lines while we work.
- Heavy trucks wear the roads. OLCA has said publicly that commercial and county traffic is breaking up the Orchidland Drive intersection. We pick our routes to limit wear and stay off soft gravel when it’s saturated.
Catchment Lots and Where the System Goes
Because almost every Orchidland home runs on rainwater, the biggest piece of water infrastructure on your lot is usually the catchment tank. Your engineer will place the septic tank and leach field with the catchment tank, the house and the property lines in mind, keeping at least 5 feet from buildings and property lines. OLCA also warns that wells in cracked lava need bacteria testing before anyone drinks from them. If you have a well or are thinking about one, mention it before design starts.
Budget-wise, rock excavation is the swing factor on an Orchidland job; our cost guide shows the typical statewide range and what moves it. Owners with very low incomes can ask the Hilo USDA office whether a Section 504 repair loan or senior grant fits their situation.
Other Areas Near Orchidland
Orchidland borders Hawaiian Paradise Park, Ainaloa, Hawaiian Acres and Kurtistown. Our Puna septic services page covers the wider district.
Get a Look at Your Lot
Send us your street and a rough idea of the project. We’ll check the road in, the rock and the catchment layout, then tell you what the work involves. Request a free estimate
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you leave the excavated rock on the road shoulder while you work?
No. OLCA does not allow anything on its right of way, including rocks. Spoils stay on your lot, or we haul them off.
What happens if you hit a lava tube while digging in Orchidland?
We stop and assess. Small voids can sometimes be filled or bridged; a large one may mean moving the leach field. Your engineer decides how to adjust the design.
Are Orchidland road fees mandatory?
Yes. OLCA says a 1992 court judgment gives it authority to collect Mandatory Road Maintenance Assessments, which can only be used for roads.
I’m building on a vacant Orchidland lot. Can I still put in a cesspool like the old FAQ said?
No. That 2005 advice is out of date. The state ended new cesspool construction in March 2016, so a new Orchidland house needs a septic tank system or ATU.
Is Orchidland on county sewer?
OLCA says there’s no sewer service in the subdivision. For a definite answer on one parcel, ask the county’s Department of Environmental Management.
Does the heavy rain here change how the leach field is built?
Rain mainly affects scheduling and site drainage. The design itself is driven by the fractured lava and the three-foot separation rule, which your engineer confirms with the soil profile.