{"id":240280,"date":"2026-09-09T13:23:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T23:23:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=240280"},"modified":"2026-09-09T13:23:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T23:23:18","slug":"wastewater-innovation-showcase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/09\/wastewater-innovation-showcase\/","title":{"rendered":"Next-gen solar wastewater system unveiled by 糖心视频<\/abbr>, partners"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"people
Principal investigator Daniel Yeh and co-principal investigator Zhiyue Wang with Water Resources Research Center and Honu Hub team members at the Wastewater Innovation Tech Showcase.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A novel wastewater treatment solution currently undergoing evaluation at the Wahiawā<\/span> Wastewater Treatment Plant on Oʻahu<\/span> could offer a crucial, cost-effective path forward as Hawaiʻi<\/span> faces a massive statewide infrastructure overhaul.<\/p>\n

The Hawaiʻi<\/span> Onsite Wastewater Technology Evaluation Program (HOWTEP<\/abbr>) was officially launched during the Wastewater Innovation Tech Showcase on August 26, at the Wahiawā<\/span> Wastewater Treatment Plant.<\/p>\n

Executed by the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at Mānoa<\/span> Water Resources Research Center<\/a> (WRRC<\/abbr>), HOWTEP<\/abbr> is a three-year pilot testing program funded by companion bills SB<\/abbr> 1232<\/a> and HB<\/abbr> 736<\/a>. WRRC<\/abbr> evaluates innovative systems and provides evaluation reports to the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Department of Health to support their decision-making and certification process. This directly accelerates the commercialization and approval of affordable wastewater technologies.<\/p>\n

The initiative advances accessible, decentralized wastewater solutions to help property owners meet the Act 125<\/a> mandate requiring the replacement, conversion or closure of nearly 88,000 cesspools across the state by January 1, 2050. Beyond system certification, HOWTEP<\/abbr> serves as a multi-purpose hub for WRRC<\/abbr> to conduct research, offer hands-on student training and perform community outreach.<\/p>\n

Honu Hub<\/h2>\n
\"people
Zhiyue Wang and WRRC<\/abbr> students showcasing the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Onsite Wastewater Technology Evaluation Program and Water Resources Research Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Honu Hub, which is supported by a $5 million National Science Foundation grant<\/a>, is the first technology to be evaluated under the HOWTEP<\/abbr> platform. It is led by Assistant Professor Zhiyue Wang (WRRC<\/abbr> and Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering), Professor and Director Tao Yan (WRRC<\/abbr> and Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering) and Professor Daniel Yeh (University of South Florida).<\/p>\n

Honu Hub is a decentralized wastewater treatment system designed to process sewage completely above ground. By packing its technology into a compact 52-square-foot space—roughly the size of a standard garden shed—the unit eliminates the need for expensive heavy machinery, extensive excavation and costly landscape restoration.<\/p>\n

For many homeowners, replacing a cesspool with a conventional septic system costs between $30,000 and $50,000—a financial burden amplified by difficult terrain, high water tables and tight lot boundaries. Honu Hub was engineered as an affordable alternative designed to drastically lower these conversion costs.<\/p>\n

“The WRRC<\/abbr> team\u2019s role in this is to help with research and development to improve the technology and study the fate and transport of emerging contaminants in this system,” Wang said.<\/p>\n

Read more about Honu Hub on the WRRC<\/abbr> website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Honu Hub is a decentralized wastewater treatment system designed to process sewage completely above ground.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":240281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[1477,179,182,1467,1363,1600,9,347],"class_list":["post-240280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-civil-environmental-construction-engineering","tag-college-of-engineering","tag-engineering","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-research","tag-public-impact-research","tag-uh-manoa","tag-water-resources-research-center","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t