Molokai water customers asked to save

HOOLEHUA - Water customers in Hoolehua, Kaunakakai and Kalae on Molokai are asked to reduce their water usage by 50 percent while the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands works to recharge its water reservoir and complete repairs at its Kalae site.

DHHL especially wants its Hoolehua water users to cut back, since that is the area that has the most customers and is the area where the reservoir needs replenishing, said Lloyd Yonenaka, the administrator for DHHL's information and community relations office.

Customers should restrict lawn watering, car washing and take shorter showers to reduce water usage.

There are two wells at the Kalae site and both pumps are under repair. Work is expected to commence within a week on the main pump, and installation and operation of that pump is expected in two weeks.

Two weeks ago, DHHL's second pump at Kalae broke down and the county system began supplying water to DHHL's system.

Customers are now being served by a single county well, said county water Director Jeff Eng.

He said that the county has been able to supply customers with water but the cutbacks are a precautionary measure.

"There is no urgency. There is no emergency," he said.

DHHL's 50 percent cutback request comes about a week after the county issued its own request for a 25 percent cutback after taking on the extra customers. The cutbacks were issued for Kaunakakai, Kalae, Hoolehua, Kualapuu, Kipu and Kalamaula.

Eng said Tuesday afternoon that he supports DHHL's request for a 50 percent cutback for Hoolehua.

He also requests that the Kaunakakai and Kalae communities cut their water use in half, since those are the communities that can most help the recharging of the water reservoir.

While the repairs are being done at the DHHL wells, a temporary emergency water line is being installed from the Molokai Ranch water system to recharge the water reservoir servicing the Hoolehua area. The temporary line is being installed with help from Molokai Ranch, Monsanto Molokai, the county Department of Water Supply and DHHL employees, a release said.

Earlier this year, the DHHL wells supplied water to the County of Maui systems when county repairs were being done.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.