Good water quality is essential for maintaining a healthy population and ecosystem, and protecting this resource should be made a high priority. History has demonstrated the devastating impacts of water-borne disease epidemics, which spread widely via the water supply in the early 19th century and caused a significant reduction of Hawai‘i’s population. Since 1929, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply’s Chemistry and Microbiology Laboratories have monitored the public water supply on O‘ahu, helping to ensure that O‘ahu’s tap water is clean, safe, and of high quality (Honolulu Board of Water Supply 2004b, 2004c).
Teaching the Young about Hawai‘i's Past...
"This valley was once the poi bowl of the whole area."
The valley Eric Enos is describing is the Wai‘anae valley.
Eric Enos, director of the Cultural Learning Center in Ka‘ala, uses the expression "poi bowl" instead of "bread basket" to describe the extensive cultivation that once existed in the Wai‘anae valley and fed many of the people who lived in and around the valley.
– An article by Patrick Johnston, Ka Wai Ola O Oha
The State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Commission on Water Resource Management is responsible for managing water resource quantities in Hawai‘i. The commission is responsible for determining who has the right to take or use water. Nearly all of the state’s drinking water is supplied by groundwater, and in some cases, as on the island of O‘ahu, demand for this water is close to the estimated natural supply.
DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources manages the state’s marine and freshwater programs through programs in commercial fisheries and aquaculture, aquatic resources protection, and enhancement, education, and recreational fisheries.
The State Department of Health is responsible for overseeing three primary areas of water quality:
In addition, the Department of Health’s Environmental Planning Office plays a critical role in developing the state’s polluted runoff control programs, such as the total maximum daily load (TMDL) program, and is involved in coordinating watershed management projects throughout the state.
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply exists primarily to provide municipal water that meets the domestic and firefighting needs for the island of O‘ahu, as well as providing a safe, reliable, and affordable distribution system. The Board of Water Supply has advocated conservation and the efficient use of the water supply since 1929, and it provides the community with resources and programs to encourage sustainable water use (Honolulu Board of Water Supply 2004b).
Wai‘anae’s wastewater treatment plant.
Source: CZM Hawai‘iThe O‘ahu Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is a joint project of the Board of Water Supply, the Department of Planning and Permitting, and the Department of Environmental Services of the City and County of Honolulu. One element of the Integrated Resource Plan is to prepare Watershed Management Plans for individual districts, including the Wai‘anae moku. The Watershed Management Plans will involve a public planning process to implement viable watershed management strategies and actions along with meeting State Water Code requirements for preparing County Water Use and Development Plans.
Wastewater for the moku is collected at the Wai‘anae Wastewater Treatment Plant, located next to the Wai‘anae Mall. The peak flow capacity of the facility is 13.8 million gallons a day (mgd), and the average daily flow (from 1997) was about 3.2 mgd (City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting 2000). Many residences with cesspools, including newer residences near existing sewer lines, have not yet connected to the facility. Approximately 20 percent of the residences in the Wai‘anae district are not hooked up to the current wastewater collection system for various reasons. The Department of Hawaiian Homelands built many of these residences, where the cost for homeowners to tie into the sewerage system can be prohibitive.
|
Area |
Connected |
Not Connected |
|---|---|---|
|
Mākaha |
809 |
212 |
|
Wai‘anae |
1,205 |
335 |
|
Mā‘ili |
1,422 |
106 |
|
Nānākuli |
1,302 |
531 |
|
TOTAL |
4,738 |
1,184 |
The Wai‘anae Wastewater Treatment Plant was recently upgraded to provide secondary treatment to the waters that enter the system. Secondary treatment is a biological treatment process that removes dissolved organic matter from wastewater. Sewage microorganisms are cultivated and added to the wastewater. The microorganisms absorb organic matter from sewage as their food supply (Mancl undated). The depth of the ocean outfall at the treatment facility has also been increased. The treatment facility has ample capacity to handle an increased flow, but some of the sewer lines (installed in the 1950s) will likely need to be upgraded in the near future. For more information on management of water and other natural resources in the region, please see the Ka Po‘e: Environmental Management section.
City and County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting. 2000. Waianae Sustainable Communities Plan. http://www.honoluludpp.org/Planning/DevSust_Waianae.asp
Honolulu Board of Water Supply. 2004b. Water Conservation Website. http://bws.starrtech.com/cssweb/display.cfm?sid=1061
Honolulu Board of Water Supply. 2004c. Water Resources Website. http://bws.starrtech.com/cssweb/display.cfm?sid=1059
Mancl, K. Undated. Wastewater Treatment Principles and Regulations. Extension Fact Sheet AEX-768-96. Ohio State University. http://ohioline.osu.edu/aex-fact/0768.html
Hardy, R. Undated. Sustaining Hawaii's Natural Drinking Water Supplies. State of Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management. http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/DRINKING.HTML
Johnston, P. 1994. Teaching the Young About Hawaii's Past. Kaala Learning Center Introduces Kids and Young Adults to Hawaii's Rich Agricultural Traditions. Ka Wai Ola O Oha. July 1994. Honolulu HI.
