Honokohau well repairs on track: Tank levels stable in North Kona, no water disruptions yet

KAILUA-KONA — Hawaii County Department of Water Supply believes it can restore service to the Honokohau Deepwell by some time early next week.

DWS finished extraction of the inoperative pump and motor as of Thursday. The department will now proceed with installation of the new equipment, diverted from a deepwell in Waimea as a back-up plan. DWS teams will work through the holiday weekend toward the quickest possible resolution.

Keith Okamoto, manager and chief engineer at DWS, said returning the well to service by Sunday is unlikely. The department still has to implement chlorination and disinfection protocols to ensure there is no risk of bacterial contamination once the well comes back online.

As much urgency as the department has assumed in the repair process at Honokohau, community acknowledgment of mandatory water usage restrictions, which include bans on irrigation and the washing of vehicles/boats, has helped ease pressure on the strained North Kona water system.

It currently operates without five of its 13 water sources.

“Man, (the community) have been really stepping up,” Okamoto said. “Tank levels are still good. They’re all looking good. They’re not full, but they’re holding steady. And they’re nowhere near critically low levels.”

DWS employees are monitoring critical tank levels several times daily and providing reports back to Okamoto. So far, the results remain promising.

Thus, no water disruptions have yet proven necessary. Okamoto said residents have made about a dozen calls to DWS to report noncompliance.

He added his teams have responded by heading out into the field to deliver restriction notices door-to-door and hopefully engage on a personal level with disgruntled customers when possible.

There has been some public confusion due to language in press releases from Hawaii County Civil Defense, in which it’s been noted that users “in the area from Keauhou to Keahole and Honalo to Makalei” must follow restrictions. Those restrictions allow water usage only for for drinking, cooking and hygiene purposes.

But, in fact, that language is just a way to give a broad outline of the area impacted. If you live in North Kona, Okamoto said, the usage restriction applies to you.

Some concerned citizens have called the department noting the use of water along the construction areas associated with the Queen Kaahumanu widening project.

The Environmental Protection Agency mandates such practices for dust control, however. And Okamoto said he was informed Thursday that Goodfellow Bros. Inc., which is handling the construction, is trucking in water for such purposes from the north — either Waimea or Waikoloa.

In any case, dust management on the highway is not depleting North Kona water stores.

Since the water crisis in the region has escalated in recent days, questions have come from the community about a potential emergency declaration some hope could pave the way for quicker repairs and the alleviation of water restrictions.

Okamoto said such a declaration would be unnecessary. Firstly, the process of manufacturing well equipment, as well as its delivery, would still take several months.

Secondly, in terms of procurement, Okamoto can already bypass the bid process to speed up the arrival of replacement parts.

“So we’ve done that with this Honokohau repair,” he said. “We’re not waiting for bids on certain things. We’re just calling whoever is available to get it done.”

As to any extra cost to DWS or the county because of employees working over the holiday weekend — Okamoto said those expenses are minimal. DWS normally has standby personnel on the field side and the electrical side for weekends and holidays, so that’s nothing new.

“We don’t have a whole big army of folks doing overtime over the weekend,” he said. “The only real OT is for our project manager/project inspector for this Honokohau well repair.”