A portion of North Kona residents are being asked to restrict water use by 25% with four wells in the area out of operation.
The Hualalai Deepwell’s pump motor recently failed during normal operation, Janet Snyder, Department of Water Supply information and education specialist, said Tuesday. The well was last serviced in October 2019.
The 25% water restriction will preserve adequate water supplies and water pressure to meet the community’s drinking, cooking, and hygiene needs, according to the department. Water quality is not threatened by the loss of the well, and customer’s water remains safe to consume and continues to meet federal drinking regulations.
“We ask customers to refrain from irrigation, washing cars, and other unnecessary water uses while the water restriction is in effect. Taking short showers, hand-washing dishes, fixing leaky toilets and turning off the faucet while brushing teeth are easy ways to reduce water use,” Snyder said.
Areas in the 25% restriction are Makalei, Kalaoa, Kona Palisades, Keahole, Palamanui, Kohanaiki, Kaloko, Kaloko Mauka and Hualalai. Other North Kona areas, including Kahaluu, Keauhou, Kailua-Kona, Honokohau, Kealakehe, Keahuolu, Keopu, Holualoa and Waiaha, are under a “water conservation notice” calling for a 10% voluntary reduction in water use.
The Department of Water Supply has 14 deep wells that provide water to the North Kona area, which spans from Makalei to about Honalo. With four down, the department issued the restriction, similar to as occurred in 2017, lasting for a year as the department struggled to get wells back online as others malfunctioned.
“Typically, DWS has redundancy of sources to address well failures. Well failures are expected. However, what we cannot predict is which ones and when,” said Snyder. “In this particular case, it happens to be that three wells at the northern end of the system are down at the same time. Although, we try to proactively prepare by having spare equipment on hand based on anticipated failures, this situation was unexpected.”
Snyder said as of Tuesday evening it remained unclear how much it will cost or how long it will take to get a replacement pump because the equipment and materials cannot be found locally. The county is also concerned about supply chain issues delaying repairs.
“Unfortunately, equipment and materials are not available locally or within the state. The major equipment are made-to-order items that need to come from the mainland,” she said. DWS could expedite the process by utilizing air shipment, she added.
Once all the equipment and materials for the repair arrive at the site, Snyder said the well could be back in service within two weeks.
Should another well fail in the system, Snyder said contingency plans are in place.
“Depending on which well goes down, will affect in which area the 25% water restriction would expand into,” she said. “Also, dependent on which well, the department will review its inventory of spare pump and motor equipment which may be used to expedite well repairs.”
While always a last resort, those who don’t follow the restriction could see their water service suspended.
“DWS asks its customers to conserve water, and people tend to cooperate for the good of the community. Customer meters tell us how much usage there is, and we monitor for high usage in any case; we notify customers when there’s high usage so they can check for leaks. Excessive water usage in the time of water restriction could lead to shutoff, but it’s always a last resort,” she said. “DWS believes in collaboration with our customers.”
For more information and tips, visit hawaiidws.org, call (808) 961-8050 during normal business hours or email dws@hawaiidws.org. Call (808) 961-8790 to report after-hours emergencies.