Honolulu Water Main Breaks Average One A Day

Honolulu Water Main Breaks Average One A Day

http://www.kitv.com/news/hawaii/Pearl-City-watermain-break-latest-in-watermain-woes/-/8905354/20770332/-/9cti1p/-/index.html

KITV News

The water main break in Pearl City was the latest in a series of water main breaks. Just last month a 16-inch main burst in McCully, flooding the streets with nearly a quarter million gallons of water-shutting down entire neighborhoods.

In the first four months of this year, there have been at least 102 water main breaks, an average of one every day.

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Honolulu: Oahu Infrastructure Failing

Honolulu: Oahu Infrastructure Failing

BY MALIA ZIMMERMAN

The island of Oahu, where an estimated 905,000 people or the vast majority of Hawaii’s population live, had 364 water main breaks per year between 2005 and 2009 – or an average of one break per day.

Board of Water Supply spokesperson Moani Wright-Van Alst says the city agency is unsure how many gallons of water are lost to water main breaks a year, or how that compares with overall usage because that depends “on the size of the break, the size of the pipe (4" versus a transmission main that is 24 inches or 30 inches), the duration of the break, and the pressure of the system.”

The repair process is not easy or quick: “Before excavation can begin, the BWS must contact other utilities to mark their lines so that the BWS doesn’t inadvertently strike other utilities lines in the excavation process.  Crews also need to clear the debris in the working area. 

Oahu’s sewage system, which burst in 2006 sending more than 50 million gallons of sewage into the streets, Ala Wai canal and waters fronting Waikiki and Ala Moana, still has regular breaks.

The Sierra Club, which sued the city over its lack of maintenance, says in a recent oped: “After ignoring warnings that the Beach Walk sewer main was in “extremely critical” condition, then Mayor Mufi Hannemann oversaw the worst water pollution episode in Honolulu’s history: 50 million gallons of raw sewage into the Ala Wai and Waikiki waters, shutting down Waikiki beaches and earning international embarrassment.

Despite the debacle, Hannemann continued to fight the Environmental Protection Agency and community groups in court, paying a mainland attorney millions until being forced to settle the lawsuit and upgrade facilities to 21st-Century standards.

Along those lines, Channel 2 News reports that the city’s attitude on sewage related issues has not improved: “For the second time in three weeks the state has fined the city $140,000 for "willfully violating" state law at one of its wastewater treatment facilities. That's more than a quarter million dollars in fines in less than a month.”

The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered the city to upgrade and repair Oahu’s sewage system – and that will cost ratepayers more than $7 billion

Kobayashi is concerned about the City's management of sewers. She says there is a building  moratorium in Moiliili because the sewage system is at capacity. "No one is doing anything about it."

She is also says she is outraged that the City fought the Environmental Protection Agency, spending $10 million on legal fees for mainland law firms.

The city’s landfill in Maili is another infrastructure issue that the city has botched, according to the Sierra Club. The organization criticizes the current administration for its management: Hannemann fought island wide curbside recycling for our island–he was forced to implement the program by law enacted by voters in 2006.

Hannemann cancelled the curbside recycling program when he started his term and then proceeded to oppose efforts to create a program at the City Council, the State Legislature, and in City Charter.

He reversed his promise to close Waimanalo Gulch landfill (which was penalized millions of dollars for violations), and botched the plan to ship opala off-island.

The city taxpayers need to invest $5.5 billion into repairs and maintenance for roads, watermain repairs and other infrastructure improvements and that is in addition to the $7 million for sewage repairs.

Kirk Caldwell, who is running for mayor, is Hannemann’s acting mayor. He says that Oahu taxpayers can afford over the next three decades to complete all of these sewage and infrastructure repairs and build a 20-mile, $5.5 billion rail system from Kapolei to Ala Moana Center.

Others opposed to the second most costly rail project per lane mile in the nation, estimate the rail will cost every family an estimated $11,000.

Honolulu Cave Adventure: Punynari Explores Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst 

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Honolulu-Cave-Adventure.html

Fantastic Must See Oahu Karst Cave Videos And Photos 

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/fantastic-must-see-oahu-karst-cave.html

Bio Diversity: The Moiliili Karst Formation

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Caving.html

Mōʻiliʻili Karst Water Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Massive-Honolulu-Cavein.html

Hiking Hawaii: Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Spooky-Oahu-Karst-Cave.html

Video and Links: Mo'ili'ili Underground Caverns Video 

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Underground-Cave-Video.html

Karst Cave Hiking Adventure: Moili'ili Karst Exploration 

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Cave-Adventure.html

 

 

 

 

 

Honolulu 48 million gallons spill in 6-day sewer break

 

Honolulu 48 million gallons spill in 6-day sewer break

Officials urge people to remain clear of polluted ocean waters

By Diana Leone  starbulletin.com

A total of 48 million gallons of raw sewage flowed into the Ala Wai Canal during the six-day spill that is apparently the city's worst ever.

The amount is more than double the estimate of more than 20 million gallons cited Wednesday by city Environmental Services Director Eric Takamura.

"I want to say again that the city had no other choice," after the diversion of sewage from a 42-inch main into the Ala Wai Canal from last Friday until repairs were completed Wednesday.

"Had we not done that as our outlet, as our release, the negative impact from having homes, businesses, restaurants and hotels with waste water backed up into those areas would have been catastrophic and certainly devastating."

The mayor urged residents and visitors to heed signs warning against swimming and fishing in polluted waters. Those remain posted at Duke Kahanamoku and Fort DeRussy beaches (fronting the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Hale Koa hotels) and along the Ala Wai Canal and Ala Wai Boat Harbor -- now in Japanese as well as English.

"The only comment we can make is that the EPA is currently working with the state of Hawaii to obtain factual information regarding the spill and that we will determine an appropriate course of action," JoAnn Cola, an EPA clean-water compliance engineer, said yesterday in an e-mail to the Star-Bulletin.

Honolulu Cave Adventure: Punynari Explores Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst 

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Honolulu-Cave-Adventure.html

Fantastic Must See Oahu Karst Cave Videos And Photos 

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/fantastic-must-see-oahu-karst-cave.html

Bio Diversity: The Moiliili Karst Formation

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Caving.html

Mōʻiliʻili Karst Water Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Massive-Honolulu-Cavein.html

Hiking Hawaii: Moiliili (Honolulu, Hawaii) Karst Cave

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Spooky-Oahu-Karst-Cave.html

Video and Links: Mo'ili'ili Underground Caverns Video 

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Underground-Cave-Video.html

Karst Cave Hiking Adventure: Moili'ili Karst Exploration 

http://ewa-hawaii-karst.blogspot.com/2013/06/Oahu-Karst-Cave-Adventure.html