Residents sound off at forum addressing recent North Kona water emergency

KAILUA-KONA — Hawaii County Department of Water Supply officials spent Monday explaining North Kona’s water emergency to County Council members. On Thursday, it was the public’s turn.

Community Forums gathered interested parties at the West Hawaii Civic Center Thursday evening, where DWS manager and chief engineer Keith Okamoto and members of his team offered a presentation and then fielded questions.

Points of public inquiry covered a wide array of topics but focused primarily on how deepwell functionality deteriorated so rapidly to how the department can ensure the situation doesn’t repeat itself.

“I wanted to get a basic understanding of why the problem occurred and what mitigating measures are being taken to reduce future risk,” said Mark Kaplan, a resident of North Kona. “Putting blame here or there, it’s all yesterday’s history. I care but I don’t care. As long as I know the chances of it happening again are minimal, that’s what I’m looking for.”

Kaplan moved to Hawaii from California, where he experienced severe mandatory water restrictions during that state’s multi-year drought. His previous experience left him more prepared for the restrictions accompanying North Kona’s shortage.

He said he’s cut back use beyond 25 percent, the amount mandated by the DWS restriction in place since January when the fourth of 13 regional wells went offline. Kaplan said his only real gripe was having to scale back care for a personal garden in which he’s invested substantially.

“The rest of it I could live with,” he said. “I don’t like it, but I could live with it.”

He added comparing California and Hawaii County’s situations would be a false equivalency. In California, it simply didn’t rain. Kona has not had that problem, particularly this summer, where the rainy season has brought several days and nights of ample rainfall.

The North Kona system doesn’t rely on direct rainfall, however. Okamoto said to utilize ground water in that way wouldn’t meet safety regulations and would prove a costly endeavor.

Kaplan went on to question the department’s communication efforts.

“They’ve been trying to communicate, but I don’t know if they’ve been doing as good a job as they could have,” he said. “A lot of people, until their house is on fire, they’re not going to get it.”

Kimberly Crawford, a lifelong resident of Holualoa, shared that concern. When asked if she thought DWS communication efforts were effective, she responded bluntly.

“No,” she said. “Not at all. There’s just a few signs on the road. If you aren’t on social media, if you aren’t listening to the radio or reading the paper then you may be completely oblivious. If you’re a visitor you’re going to be completely oblivious.”

Within her personal circle, the water shortage has been a topic of ardent discussion. But outside of that realm, she said she’s rarely heard it discussed.

DWS has utilized radio spots and advertising in WHT to spread the word. They’ve also reached out to high volume users. DWS officials said Thursday there are 135 accounts in North Kona that use more than 10,000 gallons per day, including six that use more than 100,000 gallons daily.

Letter and phone campaigns have been implemented to relay the seriousness of the situation to those high users. Okamoto said the priority now is to work with those accounts to reduce water usage and lean on education rather than punitive enforcement, at least for the time being.

The department has also partnered with Hawaii County Civil Defense to circulate email and text notifications weekly of the mandatory 25 percent water usage restriction in an effort to reach average residential users. Those accounts typically consume in the range of 400 gallons per day, Okamoto said.

However, DWS officials were called out Thursday night because on their website, when a visitor clicks on the “conservation tips” section, a message comes up that says “under construction.”

“We’re deficient there,” Okamoto admitted. “That’s another one of our things to do.”

Mayor Harry Kim, who sat on the panel Thursday evening, explained that while the department operates relatively autonomously of other county departments and handles all its own funding, his office will always be a cooperative resource in times of crisis.

Kim also came to the defense of the DWS, which has taken substantial heat in recent weeks, particularly after a fifth deepwell went offline earlier this month causing increased restrictions and prompting legitimate worry about water service disruptions.

Okamoto assured those in attendance that minimal levels have been maintained to assure ample resources to fight fires, for instance.

He also discussed DWS plans to stock backup pumps and motors for crucial wells and transition to multiple smaller pump and motor systems at each site as opposed to one larger system to create more resiliency and redundancy.

DWS is also looking to add two more water sources to North Kona’s system in coming years, which will increase the source number from 13 to 15.

Okamoto said these measures don’t guarantee a similar water emergency will never arise again. He did say that work being done now should “minimize the potential of this happening again in the near future.”

Clyde Young, lead mechanical engineer for DWS, addressed immediate concerns, saying the Waiaha Deepwell is scheduled to return to service on July 31. When it does, it will bring another 2 million gallons per day to the water system.

That won’t end the mandatory water restriction, but it should help allay some of the concern Crawford and others expressed Thursday night.

“I’ve never felt scared for my water before, like I do now,” she said.