KAILUA-KONA — Repairs to the Keahuolu deep well are expected to be completed Sunday, according to the county Department of Water Supply. ADVERTISING KAILUA-KONA — Repairs to the Keahuolu deep well are expected to be completed Sunday, according to the
KAILUA-KONA — Repairs to the Keahuolu deep well are expected to be completed Sunday, according to the county Department of Water Supply.
In the meantime, all residents and customers in North Kona are asked to continue to restrict water use to health and safety needs (drinking, cooking and hygiene purposes) only. All irrigation activities should be stopped, the department said in a press release. Crews worked double shifts through the holiday weekend to install the replacement pump.
DWS chief engineer Keith Okamoto said the problem stems from a thrust bearing failure in the motor. The reason the repair timeline is quicker than work at four other downed wells waiting for repairs is because the county already had the parts on island.
“We had a spare pump and motor in inventory,” Okamoto said in an email Monday.
Should the part not work, the repair could be four to six months out, which is a similar time frame for repairs for the other wells as motors and pumps are custom made and built to order, meaning manufacturers don’t stock them.
The department said motor and pump replacement repairs can range between $300,000 and $800,000. Repairs to the 2-million-gallon deep well at Waiaha — the next inoperable well expected to return to functional status — should proceed after the Keahuolu well. The Waiaha well is on track to be back up by the end of this month.
Before then, should the county meet the Sunday date for the Keahuolu well, water restrictions will be eased back to those posted June 9. Those restrictions do not limit water use to mandatory-only levels but ask for a 25 percent reduction.
DWS said it appreciated everyone’s assistance and cooperation with the request and because of the public’s help, water service has been maintained to all users.
“The fact that we have no reports of people without water and we have water in our tanks, even with the latest well going down, indicates compliance,” Okamoto said in the email.
An update from the department is expected at 4 p.m. today.
The private nonprofit Community Forums will host a meeting about the water restriction from 6-8 p.m. July 20 at the West Hawaii Civic Center at 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway in Kailua-Kona.
During the forum, Water Supply Department officials will explain the how and why of the current water emergency, a notice on the forum stated.
The forum will explore why the department was not better prepared for critical equipment failures and service disruptions, and why it will take nearly an entire year to fully restore water service to the North Kona area, among other topics.
“We have got to be better prepared and have the appropriate spare pumps and motors on hand,” Okamoto told West Hawaii Today shortly before the Keahuolu well went down.
The Water Supply Department serves more than 11,000 accounts in North Kona.
DWS will continue to monitor for unnecessary water use. It also recommends residents store a sufficient amount of water for basic household needs such as drinking, cooking and hygiene purposes in the event of service disruptions.
A water tanker is located on Hina Lani Street between Anini Street and Manu Mele Street and a water spigot on a fire hydrant along Ane Keohokalole Highway between Kealakehe Parkway and Kealakehe High School.
To report wasteful water use, call the Department of Water Supply during normal business hours at 961-8060. After regular hours and for emergencies, customers can call 961-8790.
