Sewer settlement will cost Honolulu $4.7 billion over 25 years

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Around $4.7 billion, that's the price tag Honolulu taxpayers will pay as part of a sewer settlement. Mayor Mufi Hannemann announced Thursday that sewer fees on Oahu would increase 3 to 5 percent every year for the next 25 years to pay for it, and that figure is flexible.

The settlement was part of a consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency. The mayor says the city will look to use federal grants to help pay for the upgrades. On Wednesday the Honolulu City Council voted to accept the settlement outlined in the consent decree.

The city was able to work out a 25-year pay schedule, while other municipalities typically have only 7-8 years to pay for their upgrades, according to the mayor.

The city must repair, replace or clean more than 640 miles of sewer pipe in the next six years. It will then upgrade its two main sewer facilities. The first sewer fee increase would likely go into effect in 2012.