KAILUA-KONA — After nearly two months of severe water restrictions, the Department of Water Supply has turned the taps back on in North Kona. ADVERTISING KAILUA-KONA — After nearly two months of severe water restrictions, the Department of Water Supply
KAILUA-KONA — After nearly two months of severe water restrictions, the Department of Water Supply has turned the taps back on in North Kona.
DWS announced Tuesday morning that deep wells at Hualalai and Palani are both back in service. Three inoperative wells remain in North Kona’s 13-source system, so while the harshest stipulations of the emergency water restrictions — such as the prohibition of non-commercial irrigation — have been lifted, some usage limits remain.
Keith Okamoto, DWS manager and chief engineer, wrote in an email to WHT Tuesday that the department has reverted back to the “regular water restriction” first imposed in January, which mandates customers reduce usage by 25 percent.
He added DWS is hopeful to bring another well back online by month’s end and knock the mandatory restriction down to a conservation request.
“Honokohau well repair is targeted for completion at the end of October,” Okamoto wrote. “When that happens, we will downgrade to voluntary water conservation (10 percent reduction).”
Kona residents were predictably pleased with the news Tuesday, but haven’t forgotten they’re still under a water restriction that’s been in effect to varying degrees for nearly a year.
“I’m glad to hear they’re back on, but it’s about time,” said Chuck Peterson, who’s been living in Kona on and off all of his life. “I think it’s pretty unreasonable to have so many wells down at the same and that it’s taken so long to get any sort of help.”
Peterson added he still has several unanswered questions about widespread deep well equipment failures, which leave him uneasy with the notion that North Kona’s water concerns may not yet be over.
Two separate audits have been commissioned to get to the bottom of issues that still rest heavily on minds throughout the community, one by the Hawaii County Water Board and one by the County Council.
Councilman Dru Kanuha and Councilwoman Karen Eoff drafted a resolution in September to commission a performance audit by the county’s legislative auditor, Bonnie Nims. The resolution passed 9-0, though the decision on whether or not to pursue an audit is essentially Nims’ choice to make.
If the audit is carried out, it will likely focus more on backup equipment procurement and contingency plans moving forward to protect the system against such pervasive failures in the future.
The Water Board created an action group to take a more technical look at the problem, which will nevertheless include examination of backups and contingencies.
The group is comprised of 12 individuals — two from DWS, four from the Water Board and six from the private sector. The list of group members’ names is included in the sidebar connected to this story.
Members of the private sector include engineers and managers of private water systems across the island, particularly at Four Seasons Resort, Hualalai. The group met in its entirety for the first time Monday.
“The … experts were selected to participate due to their extensive knowledge of pumps and well equipment,” said Water Board Chair Craig Takamine. “The group is focused on completion and presentation of a final report to the Water Board and the DWS in the coming months.”
Takamine previously indicated that it’s unlikely any policy changes are enacted before the end of the year.
Peterson said he’s pleased the audits are moving forward, adding they seem the appropriate first step.
“There should be audits of the system to see what went wrong and why, and to see if there’s someone to blame for that,” he said.
Repair of the two wells and the announcement of the official task force come 11 days ahead of the Ironman World Championship, which had much of the community questioning if the region’s beleaguered water system could support a swell in usage.
Okamoto said last month that an examination of historical water usage in North Kona didn’t show a spike in the month of October, when Ironman is held.
Ross Birch, executive director of the Big Island Visitors Bureau, said that would make sense because October tends to be a slow month for tourism — meaning those coming for Ironman are merely replacing the tourist strain on local resources that tends to exist throughout much of the rest of the year.
But Birch also noted Ironman brings people for more than just one day or one weekend. Many stay several weeks, typically before the event, with a mass exodus occurring the following Monday. The time period to which Birch referred is includes today, as well as every day leading up to the event on Oct. 14.
“You have Ironman coming up and thousands of people coming into town, and they’re not gonna be on restrictions,” Peterson said. “That’s gonna be pretty detrimental to our system, I think. (Authorities) are saying it’s not a big deal, but they’re telling everyone who lives here not to use water. Seems like a big deal.”
Members of Water Board Action Group
Jan War — Chief Operating Officer NELHA
Ken Kawahara — President Akinaka and Associates
Jay Uyeda — Director of Development Hualalai Resort
Tom Nance — President Water Resource Engineering
Wally Oki — Wallace T. Oki PE Inc.
Charlie Dawrs — Utility Manager Hualalai Resort
Bill Boswell — Water Board
Craig Takamine — Water Board
Eric Scicchitano — Water Board
Russell Arikawa — Water Board
Keith Okamoto — Manager Chief Engineer DWS
Kawika Uyehara — Deputy DWS
