Demand accountability from DWS
Demand accountability from DWS
On its website, the Department of Water Supply describes itself as, “a semi-autonomous agency, which is responsible to manage, control and operate the waterworks of the County and all property thereof.” That’s it. They have one job. And yet they are failing miserably at that job as it pertains to West Hawaii. Their solution? The prohibition of all but essential water use by residents of our area, with absolutely no estimate of when the latest restrictions will be lifted. They have had the better part of a year to get the situation under control but here we are basically being threatened through the use of a Civil Defense alert.
So exactly how semi-autonomous is this department? I would hope that the mayor and County Council have the right to demand accountability and quicker action from the department. Now is the time to exercise that right.
Once again, the people of West Hawaii are being held hostage by Hilo bureaucrats who themselves will not have to suffer any ill effects from their own actions (or in this case, inaction). We need our mayor and council to advocate on our behalf and not accept any more excuses or delays. If extra funding is needed to expedite repairs then let’s see it. West Hawaii is the cash cow of the county after all. It would be nice to get a little return on our investment. And hopefully before all of our plants and grass are burned up, or worse yet, before another well goes offline.
Bruce Pratt
Kailua-Kona