Hawaii County Issues Sixth Amended Emergency Proclamation for Hilo's Aging Wastewater Infrastructure

Hawaii County has declared an amended emergency around the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant, raising fresh concerns about aging infrastructure and community service continuity. The county posting of the proclamation points to long-term deterioration and frames the problem as a public-works emergency that touches a large portion of Hilo’s service area.

“On Feb. 2, 2026 the County of Hawaiʻi posted a Sixth Amended Emergency Proclamation regarding the Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant.” The posting says the proclamation cites “the plant’s age, deferred maintenance, corrosion and failing infrastructure” and notes the plant “serves roughly 30,000 residents, business” — the supplied text is truncated at the end of that phrase. The county item is the primary public statement available at this time.

The proclamation itself has not been published in full in the materials reviewed, and key operational and legal details remain missing. The posting does not include the full text of the Sixth Amended Emergency Proclamation, the name or title of the official who signed it, the effective dates or duration of the emergency period, or any specific remedial actions, contract awards, procurement changes, or funding amounts. The posting also does not clarify whether the truncated service estimate refers to residents only or to residents plus businesses.

Emergency proclamations have precedent in Hawaiʻi for infrastructure and disaster response, and past proclamations have sometimes included broad authorities for emergency procurement and funding. For example, an August 19, 2023 item used similar numbering in a wildfire response: “Sixth Emergency Proclamation relating to wildfires in the counties of Hawaii and Maui. Suspension of Chapter 103D, HRS, Hawaii public procurement code and Chapter 103F, HRS, purchases of health and human services. This proclamation supersedes the August 13, 2023, Fifth Proclamation Relating to Wildfires. The disaster emergency relief period shall commence immediately and continue through October 17, 2023, unless terminated or superseded by separate proclamation.” At the state level a supplemental declaration later emphasized continuity of emergency contracts, stating in part, “I FURTHER DECLARE that this proclamation supersedes the August 19, 2023, Sixth Proclamation Relating to Wildfires. The disaster emergency relief period shall commence immediately and continue through November 6, 2023, unless terminated or superseded by separate proclamation, whichever shall occur first. Notwithstanding the termination of a disaster emergency relief period, any contracts, agreements, procurements, programs, or employment of personnel entered into, started, amended, or continued by reason of the provisions of the proclamation relating to this emergency shall continue in full force and effect.”

For Hilo residents and businesses the immediate questions are practical: will sewage service be interrupted, will emergency repairs require local lane closures or private-property access, and how will repair costs be covered? The posting does not report any active bypasses, overflows, or public health advisories tied to the amended proclamation.

What comes next is clarification. County of Hawaiʻi officials must release the full proclamation text and explain what emergency powers are being used, whether procurement rules will be suspended, who will be contracted to work on the plant, and the timeline for repairs. Until those details are made public, residents and business owners in Hilo should monitor county communications for notices about service changes, protective measures, or public meetings that explain how the plant’s “age, deferred maintenance, corrosion and failing infrastructure” will be addressed.