With summer bringing increasingly dry weather the past couple of months, business has picked up for water haulers.
Despite the increase in cash flow, haulers — at least in East Hawaii — say Hawaii County isn’t doing enough to help them operate more efficiently.
“I wish they would listen to us water haulers and give us (more) access to water,” said Loke Medeiros of JB Water Hauling. “I don’t know how many years we’ve asked, and we always get denied the water access. It’s so almost 80% of the water haulers (use) spigots in Pahoa, but we have to service Volcano, Hamakua, South Kona. And I have to come back to the Hilo side to fill my truck.
“Time, money — people no can afford.”
According to Kawika Uyehara, deputy manager of the county Department of Water Supply, there are two standpipes for commercial water haulers to use at the Keonepoko Fill Station just outside Pahoa and another standpipe in Keaau, near Ke Kula ‘O Nawahiokalani‘opu‘u Public Charter School.
In addition, there are fill stations with commercial standpipes in Ocean View in Ka‘u and Hookena in South Kona.
“We have a lot of water haulers. Believe it or not, we have over 20 water trucks,” said Tammy Ortiz of K&T Water Hauling, who fills her trucks at the Keaau standpipe. “Do we have enough to service the residences and business that we have? Absolutely.
“The problem is at the spigots. At Pahoa, commercial spigots shouldn’t have been mixed with residential, because it congests their area.”
Medeiros, who fills her trucks at the Pahoa standpipe, said the congestion in the area from the line of trucks as well as individual residents filling smaller vessels has caused some friction among people at the site, as well as inefficient operations for water truckers.
“The amount of people we’ve got here now, the level of inefficiency, is ridiculous,” she said. “We have five to seven trucks standing in line in Pahoa. It takes a half-hour for a truck to fill.
“We can sit there in line for a couple of hours. And who suffers? The community.”
Medeiros recalled the drought in early 2023 when she applied to DWS for increased water access and was given temporary permission to fill her truck from a fire hydrant on North Kulani Road. Medeiros said she should’ve been allowed to continue using the hydrant, but complained that once the rain started again, she and other haulers were left high and dry.
“Last year, January, when we had that drought here, they offered (the hydrant). I paid for it,” she said. I spent more than $3,000, jumping through the hoops to satisfy the Department of Water. By the time they had finished setting everything up, the very next month it rained. On May 1, we were told that they were going to disconnect us. They took the meter off, but the back-flow prevention system, which was $1,200, they left that on.
“So, if we have drought again, where is that going to leave us? They should’ve left the meter on. We had to pay for the meter, we had to buy the back-flow, and then we had to hire a licensed plumber. And then the nonrefundable application fee for the Department of Water. All that to help the community. And we got shafted.”
Uyehara said that for haulers to be given permission to use a fire hydrant to refill, the U.S. Drought Monitor has to register D2, or severe drought, for three or more weeks in the haulers’ service area. While there is a circular area of D2 drought on Hawaii Island, it’s in the Pohakuloa area, which is not in county water service area.
“When drought conditions were developing in late 2022 and early 2023, we did work with some of the haulers and Civil Defense and the Fire Department,” he said. “And we did allow what we call temporary service off a hydrant for water hauling.
“If the U.S. Drought Monitor shows D2 for three consecutive weeks, they could have a connection off of a hydrant. But it would also be based on drought conditions continuing. Once it starts to rain, there would be no need for that temporary hookup, anymore.”
Haulers would have to apply, but DWS isn’t currently accepting applications, since there currently are no D2 drought areas in their service area. Applications, when they’re being accepted, come with a $300 onetime nonrefundable fee.
“That includes the cost of the meter and getting it set up and installed. I believe they have to provide their own back-flow preventer,” Uyehara said.
County Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno said his agency has “been in discussion with Public Works and the Department of Water Supply” about the potential for the drought — which is mostly at D0, or abnormally dry, on most of the island —to worsen.
“We monitor this stuff, as well, and our last meeting was last week,” Magno said. “We face this every time the dry season comes around … but there is a system with the Department of Water Supply where they can request additional spigots, especially commercial water haulers … when it starts getting dry. They’ve got to put their application in with DWS, and those places will be activated again.”
Ortiz is seeking a more permanent solution.
“We have 20-something trucks, and we’re all stuck with three fill stations. I say, ‘Why don’t we put a fill station next to Kamehameha Schools in that big open area,” she said. “Because when I’m coming from Volcano, nobody’s there. I could pull right in there, fill up — and I could go back to Volcano or where I need to go.
“I go down to Keaau, and I’ve got four Keaau service trucks in front of me … and I’ve got to sit there maybe two, two-and-a-half hours. And then, I’ve got to fill, I’ve got to go and then come back to Keaau. So, that’s where the problem is; that’s where the disconnect is.”
Medeiros accused the county of being uncaring to the needs of both haulers and the public who need to have water trucked in to meet their daily needs.
“If they would’ve have just left the meter on the hydrant at North Kulani, we could’ve scheduled all our upper Puna water deliveries at the same time, and it would be more efficient,” she said. “North Kulani to Volcano. North Kulani to Eden Roc. I could get to them all within an hour, an hour 20 minutes. But instead, it’s Pahoa to Volcano, Pahoa to Fern Forest.”
Magno acknowledged the lack of rain causes crowds at the fill stations and conflicts at the spigots, especially among private individuals.
“Recognizing that there’s going to be more demand, we’re asking people to be patient, abide by the rules that we set up for these sites, and be courteous,” he said. “Make sure your home (catchment) systems are functioning fine and not leaking — and practice water conservation.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.