I'm thinking of building a small vacation home in either the US Virgin Islands or the Big Island of Hawaii. Water is scarce in both places and you need to use a rain catchment system.

It would seem to make sense to use your grey water rather than dump it into a cesspool or septic tank. It would also seem smart to at least look at composting toilets.

I have quite a bit of information about both systems, but can not find anything out about 'the legalities' of using either of them in either Hawaii or the U.S.V.I.

Can anyone here tell me if either jurisdiction allows them? And if so, is it a big battle to get approval?

Thanks in advance for any help!

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Originally Posted by Toucano

I'm thinking of building a small vacation home in either the US Virgin Islands or the Big Island of Hawaii. Water is scarce in both places and you need to use a rain catchment system.

It would seem to make sense to use your grey water rather than dump it into a cesspool or septic tank. It would also seem smart to at least look at composting toilets.

I have quite a bit of information about both systems, but can not find anything out about 'the legalities' of using either of them in either Hawaii or the U.S.V.I.

Can anyone here tell me if either jurisdiction allows them? And if so, is it a big battle to get approval?

Thanks in advance for any help!

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If I were interested in code restrictions I would contact the building department of the area you're interested in and request a copy of the local plumbing codes. Good plumbing practice knows no boundaries. Traps,venting, safe potable water are all the same no matter what country you're in. Good luck, Tom

Being born and raised in Hawaii, I may have some helpful info regarding what's "legal" and what isn't... Most of the new housing on any of the islands is being connected to the city/county water and sewer systems. Whether this is the preference or the rule, I'm not sure. As far as using catchment systems for water in Hawaii... there is no "need" to use them, nor are they required by law. Only the most rural homesites still use those (to my knowledge, based on research done for a paper) for irrigation and livestock, and most of those were built before 1960, on the farms and plantations. As far as a composting toilet goes - I believe that currently, only the State and National Parks systems are allowed to have those because they are considered a health hazard in residential areas, regardless of how rural the residential area is (the theory is that John Q. Public isn't capable of maintaining a composting toilet properly unless they have the proper educational background in environmental sciences, and there's no real reason to use a composting toilet in a residential area due to city sewer and water blah blah... ). The State of Hawaii does have a permits department for new construction, and that state department has publications that you should be able to get (either free or at low cost) regarding codes and requirements.

I think the bigger issue to consider is that there is an active volcano on the Big Island. It has already gone through at least 2 subdivisions in the last 20 years or so. If you are considering building a vacation home on the Big Island, I would be careful where you build. If you have severe allergies or asthma, I would not recommend building anywhere on the Big Island.

Hope this has helped some...