Dr. Christopher Shuler and Aimee Schriber at UH Mānoa Research Day 2026
Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) faculty member Dr. Christopher Shuler and researchers Aimee Schriber and Autumn McCarter represented WRRC at the fourth annual University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Research Day at the State Capitol. The theme of the 2026 Research Day was “Community-UH Partnerships for One Health: Leveraging One Health – the interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and environmental health – research and partnerships for resilient communities across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.”
The three WRRC members provided a presentation on “Identifying Key Areas for Sewer System Expansion in Hawaii: A Geospatial Planning Approach.” They highlighted the Hawaiʻi Cesspool Prioritization Tool (HCPT), which was completed in 2022 by WRRC and Hawaiʻi Sea Grant and identifies the highest-risk cesspools statewide. They also provided updates to passersby on the WRRC and Hawaiʻi Sea Grant Act 217 Wastewater Overlay project, a legislatively mandated effort to incorporate new sewer expansion data into the HCPT.
Hawaiʻi currently has more than 85,000 cesspools, all of which must be upgraded by 2050 due to documented risks to public health and the environment.
Visit the HCPT at: http://hawaiicesspooltool.