FOLLOW UP SAMPLES TEST NEGATIVE FOR
E. COLI BACTERIA AT BOARD OF WATER SUPPLY (BWS)
KUNIA WELLS III, PUMP #1
Water is safe to drink. The public was never in any danger.
HONOLULU – Follow-up tests at BWS Kunia Wells III, pump #1 were found to be negative for E. coli bacteria.
What should I do?
There is nothing you need to do. Your water continues to be safe to drink. This notice is a public announcement required by Federal and State drinking water regulations.
What happened?
On January 25, 2025, the Board of Water Supply (BWS) issued a news release notifying the public that a raw, pre-chlorination water sample collected on January 23, 2025, from BWS Kunia Wells III, pump #1 tested positive on January 24, 2025, for E. coli bacteria. As required by the Ground Water Rule, on January 25, 2025, five (5) additional raw, pre-chlorination samples were immediately collected from Kunia Wells III, pump #1 to follow-up on the initial E. coli detection. The following day, on January 26, 2025, those five raw, pre-chlorination samples from Kunia Wells III, pump #1 were all found to be negative for E. coli bacteria. As required by Federal and State regulations, BWS is providing this second public notice to report these five negative E. coli results from the five follow-up samples taken from Kunia Wells III, pump #1. The tap water remains safe to drink because the pre-chlorination, raw water from this source is disinfected with chlorine before it goes to any consumers. For this reason, no further action is required by customers. Water from Kunia Wells III, pump #1 serves the area from Waipahu to Makaha.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Ground Water Rule is a regulatory process aimed to reduce the potential risk of illness caused by microbial contamination in ground water. Under the Rule, utilities must test the ground water sources when E. coli bacteria are detected in any sample collected from the water system. If E. coli bacteria are found in the ground water source, the Rule requires the public to be notified. While an E. coli detection is not a rule violation, the Rule requires that the public be notified of the findings nevertheless.
Background
On January 23, 2025, BWS detected coliform bacteria in a water sample collected on January 22, 2025, from a routine sampling site at East Kapolei Fire Station. On January 23, 2025, in accordance with the Ground Water Rule, BWS staff collected a repeat sample from the original sampling site and from other sites upstream and downstream of East Kapolei Fire Station, and additionally from all sources and all pumps at all stations that were serving water to East Kapolei Fire Station. Ho’ae’ae Wells, Kunia Wells I, Honouliuli Wells II, Kunia Wells III, and Waipahu Wells IV are the sources serving water to East Kapolei Fire Station. Of all the samples collected, only Kunia Wells III, pump #1 was found to be E. coli positive on the following day, January 24, 2025. The repeat samples from East Kapolei Fire Station and all other samples collected on January 23, 2025, from all other pumps at all other sources were all found to be E. coli negative on the following day, January 24, 2025.
With this result and as required by the Ground Water Rule, on January 25, 2025, the BWS immediately collected five (5) additional raw, pre-chlorination resamples from Kunia Wells III, pump #1. After collecting these five resamples, Kunia Wells III, pump #1 was immediately shut down as a precaution, until results were known.
E. coli testing requires at least 25 hours to complete. The five additional raw, pre-chlorination samples collected were all found to be negative for E. coli bacteria on January 26, 2025. As required under the federal Ground Water Rule, BWS is providing this second public notice of these negative findings.
E. coli bacteria can exist in tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate soil and may persist in the soil for many years. E. coli is a fecal indicator and a microbe whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term health effects, such as diarrhea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.
The BWS has notified the State Department of Health (DOH) of these follow-up negative test results and is informing the public as required by Federal and State drinking water regulations.
During the times when Kunia Wells III, pump #1 is operating, chlorine is being added to the water before it reaches customers. Water samples collected from East Kapolei Fire Station on January 22, and 23, 2025, had chlorine present and all tested negative for E. coli bacteria. Other samples taken in the area served by Kunia Wells III, pump #1 were collected on January 22, 2025, from August Ahrens Elementary School, Waipahu Elementary School, Waipahu Intermediate School, The Filipino Community Center, Waipahu Fire Station, Honowai Neighborhood Park, ‘Ewa Town Center, ‘Ewa Beach Fire Station, Kapolei Elementary School, The Villas at A’eloa, Zippy’s Kapolei, PPG Paints Kapolei, Makakilo Booster #2, Panana St, Makakilo Booster #4, also had chlorine present and all tested negative for E. coli bacteria. For this reason, the public was not at risk of E. coli exposure.
What is being done?
The BWS, in consultation with DOH, investigated whether the presence of E. coli bacteria at Kunia Wells III, pump #1 could be confirmed and found that it could not. All five (5) resamples taken on January 25, 2025, before chlorination at Kunia Wells III, pump #1 were found on January 26, 2025, to be negative for E. coli bacteria. Upon reporting these uniformly negative E. coli results to DOH, BWS received approval from DOH to resume Kunia Wells III, pump #1 operations.
For more information, please contact the BWS Water Quality Division at (808)
722-6494 or (808) 343-0226 or the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1(800) 426-4791.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly, for example people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses. You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.
(SA1482596 2/04/25)
