LIHUE — A grant program to help island residents convert catch basins on their properties has selected 100 recipients, each eligible to receive a $20,000 reimbursement.

The Kauai County Housing Agency said Wednesday it notified recipients via email. In order to receive the grant, recipients must acknowledge and confirm their interest before November 4.

“A grant agreement must be signed to finalize the award,” the Housing Agency said in an update on the residential cesspool conversion grant program.

“Please note that the Housing Agency will not ask for personal or financial information over the phone or email. If you are unsure about the validity of any notice you may have received, please contact the housing agency directly at 808-241-4444.

All applicants who did not receive a scholarship were placed on the program’s waiting list.

“Being placed on the waiting list indicates that the applicant will remain under consideration for potential funding if one of the first 100 awardees does not accept the available funding,” the Housing Agency said .

About 375 applications were submitted for the grant program, which began accepting applications in late August. The application period closed on September 27.

“The grant program provides reimbursement of up to $20,000 to upgrade existing cesspools to individual wastewater systems approved by the Hawaii State Department of Health Wastewater Branch,” said the Housing Agency.

The State of Hawaii – DOH Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund provided the money for the grant program.

The island of Kauai has about 14,000 catch basins that discharge untreated sewage into the ground and directly into surface waterways during storms, according to Surfrider’s 2023 Kauai Water Quality Report Foundation.