One Less Cesspool, One Lucky Veteran

Contact: Stuart Coleman, stuart@waicleanwater.org, 808-381-6220

On Nov. 11, 2021, WAI: Wastewater Alternatives & Innovations and vet-owned Eljen Corporation will celebrate Veterans Day by giving one lucky veteran an innovative wastewater treatment system to honor his service. The partners will showcase the new technology to a small group of industry professionals, local legislators, county representatives at an event later in the month, inviting other key stakeholders to discuss the system and its potential to help reduce sewage pollution across Hawai’i.

The recipient of the donated wastewater system is Jarvis Valera, who has served in the Hawai’i Army National Guard for 26 years. Jarvis serves as an Operations Sergeant in Kalaeloa, Hawai’i, and has resided in Kea’au on Hawai’i Island since 2014. Kea’au is classified by the Hawai’i Department of Health as a Priority 2 Cesspool Upgrade Area, meaning that cesspools in this area currently present a potential impact to drinking water. Eljen’s innovative wastewater technology improves upon a typical septic system by adding “geotextile sand filters” into the leach field, dramatically improving the quality of the effluent that enters the environment. 100,000 of these systems have been installed worldwide, and this is the first of its kind to be installed in the State of Hawai’i.

Eljen Corporation is committed to advancing the onsite wastewater industry through continuous development of innovative new products, delivering high quality products and services to their customers at the best price and building lasting partnerships with their employees, suppliers and customers. “As an vet-owned company, Eljen is proud to sponsor this Veterans Day Giveaway,” says Jim King, CEO of Eljen Corp. “It is our pleasure to donate our system to Jarvis and introduce our innovative Geotextile Sand Filter (GSF) technology to Hawai’i.”

Design and permitting services were donated to this project by local licensed professional engineer Dennis Poma, owner of Advanced Compliance Solutions, Inc. (ACSI) who is also a WAI Advisory Board member. ACSI is a full-service civil engineering and environmental compliance company that is based on Oahu and operates throughout the State with some national and international projects.

Veterans United Foundation is a public charity affiliated with Veterans United Home Loans and has partnered with WAI to support this Veterans Day Wastewater System Giveaway. The mission of Veterans United Foundation is to enhance the lives of Veterans and military families and support diverse needs in their local communities and across the nation.

WAI is an environmental non-profit working to protect water quality, reduce sewage pollution and restore healthy watersheds by providing innovative, affordable and eco-friendly solutions to waste and wastewater management for all people.

For more information on WAI, please visit website at www.waicleanwater.org.