I’ve sent letters, webposts, texts and emails to the mayor, DWS/water board, while having two conversations with engineering. They seemed well-meaning, willing to listen and anxious to apply my suggestions. And then the pump crashed, a pump in inventory was
I’ve sent letters, webposts, texts and emails to the mayor, DWS/water board, while having two conversations with engineering. They seemed well-meaning, willing to listen and anxious to apply my suggestions. And then the pump crashed, a pump in inventory was unusable and the mayor found no one at fault. It’s time to pump a little engineering clarity into the situation.
What is our current situation? Public information; five of 13 wells are inoperable, a replacement pump deployed into its well was found inoperable (raising it to the surface, a cable snapped destroying the pump and possibly the well), a complete, unused pump assembly in inventory was found to be inoperable. All the inoperable wells have the same subcontractor. The stated MTBF of the pumps is five to seven years. These numbers suggest two pump failures/year, every year. Six pump failures/year becomes a predictable scenario.
A perfect storm is gathering and we should prepare, now! The pump in inventory was examined and found inoperative, but the details of this speak much of the problem. It was stated that the test was performed by a Centrilift technician, which begs the question, “How did that come to happen?”
The corporate sequence; Centrilift manufactures/services our pumps/motors, Baker Hughes is the corporate head of Centrilift and a major figure in the crude oil pumping industry. General Electric has recently acquired Baker Hughes. As important as water pumping is to our island, it is a poor stepchild. Hurricane damages create enormous pressures to get crude flowing again at any cost, especially within this industry, and they will be long term. The immediate solution is to become more self-sufficient.
DWS has stated that they do not have the capability to remove and replace pump/motor assemblies, do not have the training nor expertise to troubleshoot/repair the pumps/motors, have their subcontractor order/purchase the pumps/motors, cannot test the performance characteristics of the pumps/wells under operating conditions, are not now (and apparently never have) subjected pumps to performance tests nor requested such by the manufacturer. In short, DWS/the water board have had minimal engineering involvement with the wells. Before considering additional redundancy …
The dropped/damaged pump episode: Could the replacement pump lowered into the well only to discover it was inoperable have been discovered as such by the same type of inspection performed by the Centrilift technician beforehand? Exactly what tests were performed beforehand and by whom? What were the results?
The test done by the Centrilift technician: What specific test was performed and what were the results? The statement by Keith Okamoto that this test was being considered in all future contracts/actions suggests he gave great weight to it. Why was DWS not aware of this (apparently simple) test protocol? Had it ever been performed before?
Accuracy of DWS information: How could DWS report intelligently on the general state of the entire system without specific flow/pressure data, by well, logged over the full operational history of the system? Who is responsible for maintaining such records and, if they exist, will they be made publicly available? Who has analyzed the data in these records and what are the results? What recent analyses have been done to determine the state of the well fields themselves, as opposed to the individual well components?
To board members and DWS engineering and staff: I urge you to contact Centrilift/Baker Hughes immediately to arrange for an on-island seminar of intensive instruction covering, at a minimum, becoming proficient in the ownership of the pumps (and their care, operation, troubleshooting and servicing), understanding the unique geohydrology of our island, and a full day of questions and answers. You (board members) should require yourselves to attend, and require the same of the entire staff of DWS.
Following this, a decision to commit to a path of self-sufficiency, or not, should be made clear. The choice is stark, pay now or pay more later. The cost of one pump ought to be able to set us up with a full-blown test facility and the training/expertise to hit the ground running.
Richard Apothaker is a
resident of Waikoloa
