PUNALU’U, Hawaii (Island News) — \u201cThis is the first time I’ve had a hot shower on the Big Island in six weeks,\u201d said Kevin Reiss, a Punalu\u02bbu resident.<\/p>\n
For Reiss, that shower was a reminder of just how long this has gone on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ll never take hot water, showerhead, things like that for granted ever again. And it felt like I was at the Ritz-Carlton, literally,\u201d said Reiss.<\/p>\n
Other residents have the same experience<\/p>\n
\u201cI was literally bathing in the gutter,\u201d said Jeff Silva, another Punalu\u2019u resident.<\/p>\n
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Seven weeks after hurricane lala damaged a private water system in Punalu\u2019u, two condominiums and residents are still without running water.<\/p>\n
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Showering isn\u2019t the only issue; washing dishes or using a normal bathroom has been nonexistent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a nightmare,\u201d said Reiss.<\/p>\n
7 weeks later, two condos and residents are still without water.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what I understand, the private water company\u2019s well was damaged through Lala. All the debris went in it, and it\u2019s severely damaged. So it\u2019s going to take a while to fix it,\u201d said Hawaii Island Mayor Kimo Alameda.<\/p>\n
The water company says the pump, motor, and other equipment need to be replaced.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur potable water operator says that if the well site was contaminated, depending on how severely it was contaminated, it could take up to an additional three months just so that the well site can be properly chlorinated,\u201d said Colin Sakumoto, Attorney for Punalu’u Water and Sanitation<\/p>\n
And a long-term fix could take even longer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want storm protection, you\u2019re going to need a developer willing to come in and drill a new well site. And that again, we\u2019re talking on average at least two years, and at least an investment of $2 million,\u201d said Sakumoto.<\/p>\n
For now, the water company says it has set up a water hauler, but the company\u2019s attorney says access to county water has been an issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a potable water tank set up, a 3,000-gallon potable water tank, and we have a water hauler set up to fill up the tank. The problem is the county will not provide access to their potable water sites,\u201d said Sakumoto.<\/p>\n
The county says it has now approved access to drinking water from a county fire hydrant.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been working with the homeowners as well as the attorney for the water company, and just this past Friday, we confirmed whatever we needed from them to go ahead and allow them to use our fire hydrant for drinking water,\u201d said Alameda.<\/p>\n
Residents say the county has been responsive, but the water company has not.<\/p>\n
\u201cPWS has provided no water. PWS has never shown up with even a bottle of water. One bottle, never, not once, not a single bottle of water, said Silva.<\/p>\n
Leaving the community on its own.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community has been supporting itself essentially,\u201d said Silva.<\/p>\n
Residents say they\u2019ve also been paying out of pocket to get by.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have provided all the porta-potties. We ordered them. We paid for them. These are the things that a utility normally would provide to their customers who have been paying them, and we\u2019re at seven weeks,\u201d said Silva.<\/p>\n
Many say the system should have been better prepared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have spoken directly to the owner of PWS and recommended things like an emergency response plan, backup well, redundancies,\u201d said Silva.<\/p>\n
For now, residents are trying to stay hopeful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hopeful that this water situation and many other things will be resolved,\u201d said Reiss.<\/p>\n
The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission is also reviewing the situation.<\/p>\n
A public meeting is scheduled for October 18th at the P\u0101hala Community Center.<\/p>\n