First, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience of requesting a 25% reduction in water use due to the recent failure of our Hualalai Deepwell. We at the Department of Water Supply (DWS) really do understand this puts a burden on our communities and our families, as we also live, work, and play here. The DWS team of employees work extremely hard at making sure to minimize disruptions in water service while ensuring the water is safe to drink by meeting all applicable State and Federal Standards.
We are continually working to improve our daily operations, especially since the previous water restriction situation in 2017. Please note, during that time, due to the diligent efforts of our hard-working personnel, we managed to continue to provide uninterrupted water service.
For the current situation, although we still have 10 of our 14 wells still operating, we are challenged by the issue that three of the four wells out of service are in the same vicinity, at the very north end of our North Kona water system. These three wells are our Makalei, Kalaoa and Hualalai deepwells. If the four wells were spread throughout the entire water system, we’d likely be in good shape. In this case, we are limited by the capacity of our booster pumps to transmit water from our south sources to the northern area.
Current estimate for repair of the Hualalai Deepwell is September 2022. However, we have reached out through a network of water utilities in the western region of the United States for assistance and are hopeful that someone will have the resources to assist us. With regard to Kalaoa Deepwell, we are hoping to use spare power cable in our inventory to bring the well back to service by mid to late July in the interim. With Kalaoa Deepwell back in service, we would likely be able to revert from the 25% restriction to a more modest request for continued conservation of 10%.
With regard to DWS’s use of made-to-order pumps and motors; the DWS has annual contracts to bring some pumps and motors into our inventory as spares. However, our vendors and suppliers do not always happen to have the correct specifications for wells that fail.
Most deep-set submersible pumps and motors are too large of an item for vendors and suppliers to keep in stock. The department does its best to prioritize and predict which spare equipment should be purchased for our inventory, however, it must be balanced against how long it may stay in storage, as the equipment requires particular methods of storage to ensure the equipment is suitable for use when needed. Deep-set pumps and motors are meant to be installed and operated vertically. Ideally, proper storage should be vertical also. However, this is an issue for both DWS and vendors/contractors as there are no storage facilities to accommodate the length and weight of the pump and motor units (up to 20 feet and one ton; and 38 feet and 2.5 tons respectively) in a vertical position. Therefore, they are typically stored horizontally. There are also warranties involved, which could expire before equipment is used.
DWS has been working to have more standardized equipment, as part of our overall equipment management plan, but it is a gradual process which is being implemented as existing wells are repaired and in the design of new wells. Some of our existing wells do use the same equipment, but other wells have pumps/motors that need to be made-to-order. The fact is every well is different; the size, capacity, depth, electrical feeds all vary depending on the well. However, we are moving towards having more interchangeable equipment so that we can address repairs more efficiently.
DWS is also proactively developing new well sources to improve our redundancy and resiliency in the North Kona area. There are two well drilling projects in motion. The Wai‘aha Well B project is currently in the construction phase however, the well construction permit is currently being pursued and is required before the drilling can start. The North Kona Mid-Elevation Deep Well project is planned to be advertised for bids in the next couple of months. This project is highly anticipated by DWS as it would tap a previously unutilized deep confined aquifer resulting in lower operational costs. Both well drilling projects are for the drilling, casing, and testing of the well. Once completed and if testing is acceptable, the Department would need to proceed with Phase 2 of the projects which involves the outfitting of the well for production. In addition, the Department is also actively partnering on a development agreement to acquire the Keauhou Well – Phase 2 project. When the agreement is finalized, it is expected to take approximately nine months to complete the planning and design of the project, with construction to follow.
We have also heard comparisons to the oil industry regarding maintenance intervals, spare equipment, and material, and why we cannot operate similarly. This is an unfair comparison as the revenues and operating budgets are very different between a water utility and the oil industry. As Hawaii County’s municipal water utility, our mission is to provide an adequate and continuous supply of safe drinking water in a financially responsible manner. We strongly believe that our product quality and consistency is of very high value at a fair price to our customers. We do this by working to find balance in our operational expenses and resulting impacts to water fees.
We know we are nowhere near perfect, but please be assured that the DWS team is committed to continual improvement for the benefit of our customers and communities we serve. Mahalo for your kokua.
Keith K. Okamoto, P.E., is manager-chief engineer of the Department of Water Supply.