KAILUA-KONA — Hawaii County Department of Water Supply believes it can restore service to the Honokohau deep well by some time early next week.
KAILUA-KONA — Hawaii County Department of Water Supply believes it can restore service to the Honokohau deep well 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 deep well in Waimea as a backup 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.
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 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.