Water crisis could have been avoided
This morning, June 20, we awoke to not having any water coming through the faucets within our house. It turns out that no one in our neighborhood near Laaloa Avenue in Kona had water. It was interesting to then read the top headline and informative story in your newspaper about the water problems mainly being due to a number of the well pumps having failed or not being sufficient to transfer water to some areas of North Kona.
We water users are being encouraged to be more judicious in our use of water and I feel we all need to do a better job at that. The mayor has apparently “voiced disappointment” in our water conservation efforts. However, I think most of the blame for the current situation should be directed to the Department of Water Supply, its board, and Mayor Harry Kim.
I remember years ago during the mayor’s prior administration, a similar water crisis arose. Many of us, myself included, made suggestions to the mayor and water department including having standby pumps ready to be installed should pumps fail since it takes so long to order and receive the custom-made replacement pumps. Apparently, those suggestions fell on deaf ears. All these years later, the water department is finally considering the standby pumps idea as we are well into the current crisis.
Here’s another idea that was previously suggested: Use standardized pumps off the shelf so that they are interchangeable (as much as possible) between the wells and don’t need to be custom made. Mr. Mayor, you are not the only one who is disappointed with the current situation.
Robert H. Smith
Kailua-Kona
Flowing with ineptitude
The water well “crisis” points to the lack of forethought, lack of planning, lack of stocking essential replacement parts (Hello: did someone forget everything has to be shipped here?) and an apparent lackadaisical attitude toward public service.
This certainly seems the norm in county government. Wait, state government also. Impressive.
Robert Brogan
Kailua-Kona
Do due diligence on DU
Mahalo, West Hawaii Today, for printing Jim Albertini’s letter to the editor on June 20. I urge other main stream media outlets like the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Hawaii Tribune-Herald to also print this important message for the residents of Hawaii to be informed on the public health risks of inhaling depleted uranium oxides by publishing the link to Dr. Lorrin Pang’s video.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) actions of June 13 denied Big Island residents a hearing about the dangers of inhaling depleted uranium (DU) oxide dust particles from military radiation at the 133,000-acre Pohakuloa Training Area.
These particles can be dispersed and carried long distances from PTA by the wind, military high explosives and other activity at PTA that creates dust. Neither the military, nor the NRC, want to deal with this main hazard of inhalation of DU oxide dust particles. They only talk about there being no external radiation hazard which is not really an issue with DU. The NRC and military actions fail to protect troops’, residents’ and visitors’ health and safety.
I encourage everyone to view the short video by Dr. Pang, MD, of Hawaii, explaining the health dangers of inhaling DU oxide dust particles and judge for yourself if there are health dangers: https://vimeo.com/19153948
Lindafaye Kroll
Hilo