Kona’s water problem needs to be a No. 1 priority

It’s time we start talking about the big picture regarding our water pump problems. It initially sounds like no big thing to stop irrigating our landscapes when compared to priorities like drinking, cooking and bathing.

But perhaps Keith Okamoto and Harry Kim might take it more seriously if there’s a class action lawsuit by homeowners, condo developments, and food growers to be reimbursed for the hundreds of thousands of dollars in plants they’ll lose from lack of water.

And how about the revenue all the garden centers will lose as sales stop, and the firing of landscapers who make a living tending to people’s yards. Let’s not stop there, real estate will take a hit when buyers decide to pass on a community that can’t provide a basic utility. The tourist economy will also suffer when word gets out that water can be turned off without notice. We need bees and plants, and without water, that fragile system will collapse.

The water district’s lack of planning and poor management doesn’t warrant emergency measures for our community. The mayor needs to pull his head out of the silo mentality that’s currently limiting possible solutions. Get creative and start moving money from one budget to another to fund a quick and viable solution. Whatever is being done now needs to be expedited 100 fold. Negotiate better warranties with suppliers, put people in charge who aren’t retired on the job. Start treating this problem like it’s our No. 1 priority.

Yvonne Martin

Kailua-Kona