The prolonged dry spell that’s thus far been the story of the wet season on the Big Island’s windward side has caused long lines at the county’s public water spigots for residents who rely on water catchment.
Mayor Mitch Roth on Thursday issued a statement urging those on catchment to use water wisely and to be courteous to others at the public spigots, which are limited to obtaining potable water.
“We’re asking for the public’s patience and cooperation at the spigot sites,” Roth said. “We’re also advising those with catchment systems to use management practices and conserve their water as best they can until this extended dry period is over.”
The last significant rainfall measured by the National Weather Service gauge at Hilo International Airport was 0.72 inches in the 48 hours ending Dec. 20. The often wet tarmac received none for the remainder of 2022 and just 0.29 inches for 2023 as of Friday afternoon, the bulk of that in the 24-hour period ending at 8 a.m. on Thursday.
Tom Birchard, a lead forecaster for NWS in Honolulu, said that in an average January, that gauge would record “about 4.5 inches” for the first 20 days of the month.
“And even last year, when it was really dry, you had 0.81 inches at this time of the month,” Birchard added. Last January was the driest since 2010 with just 1.2 inches for the month — 15% of an average January rainfall total.
The rainfall totals were a bit higher at some windward locations, but not much.
Pahoa, as of Friday, had recorded 0.99 inches of rain. In upper Puna, Mountain View tallied a paltry 0.66 inches.
Anoi Kekipi-Aurio filled multiple containers of water Friday at the Keaau Transfer Station spigots to bring back to his home for drinking and cooking purposes. While his catchment is low, there is still enough to conserve for showering and washing dishes.
“We have enough to keep conserving for now, but we’re hoping for a big rain soon,” Kekipi-Aurio said. “With four children, this drinking water should last us about a week. I haven’t had to experience too many lines, but getting water can take awhile depending on where you are. Everyone around here is on catchment, and farmers have some big tanks to fill up, which can hold up the line.”
Harold Wilson was excited to see no lines Friday at the frequently congested Mountain View spigots. He spent about 20 minutes filling a 200-gallon tank.
“It takes much longer when there are multiple people getting water,” Wilson said. “Last weekend, I waited in line for hours, but I needed the water. We’ve been through this before, so I’m used to it, but the timing this winter is weird. We usually have dry months over the summer, so this is not normal.
“I’m definitely missing the rain, not just for the water, but living on the east side, you get used to it.”
Jesse Santiago filled up a few containers of water at the spigots by Mountain View Park.
“This is my fourth attempt to get drinking water. Every time I passed by to run errands in town, the lines were crazy and too long,” he said. “I jumped right over here when I saw how empty it was. I have a 10,000-gallon catchment that’s at about halfway full right now. I could schedule a water delivery for a couple weeks from now, but I’m playing the wild card and hoping it rains soon.
“If it doesn’t rain, we may need to go back to the days of our 5-gallon bucket showers. When we first moved and were building on our property, that’s all we had, and we could go back to that if we need to. Right now, I’m sticking with two-minute showers and conserving all the water I can.”
With the all-but-nonexistent rain has come increased demand for water-hauling services. According to the county, water haulers have experienced extended delays when refilling at the designated fill stations, impacting their ability to provide timely service to customers.
At JB Water Hauling in Pahoa, a woman who identified herself as Amanda said the company has only one truck, a 2,000-gallon tanker, on the road because its other truck is awaiting a part that has to be shipped from China. She described the current situation as “a little bit hectic.”
“I haven’t been able to answer every call. I’ve been getting, like, 200 calls an hour,” Amanda said.
According to Amanda, their truck is running 24/7, and customers able to get through on the phone to arrange a water delivery aren’t likely to receive it soon.
“We’ve been swamped for awhile,” she said. “Right now, our availability is already into February.”
The National Weather Service’s extended forecast predicts some rain today and tonight. But those expecting Mother Nature to fill their catchment systems any time soon are likely to be disappointed.
“We do have the potential of some trade winds and trade wind showers to move in,” Birchard said. “But the atmosphere at that time doesn’t look particularly unstable. The rain chance is pretty high, but the total accumulation is probably pretty low.
“Then after that, there’s not a whole lot of moisture expected until maybe the middle of the week. There’s potential for stronger trade winds to bring in more moisture associated with a dissipating front, Wednesday or Thursday.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.