DRINKING WATER NOTICE
for
Board of Water Supply Honolulu-Windward-Pearl Harbor Water System Customers Only
Monitoring requirements not met for Honolulu-Windward-Pearl Harbor Water System
August 2022 Compliance Period
What Happened?
The Board of Water Supply (BWS) is required to monitor your drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis. Results of regular monitoring are an indicator of whether your drinking water meets health standards. During August 2022, we did not complete all required bacteriological monitoring at all the water system’s wellhead locations, and therefore cannot be sure of the quality of your drinking water during that time.
On August 10, 2022, BWS detected total coliforms in a routine sample from Kalama Valley Park. In accordance with the regulations BWS needed to collect samples from all water sources serving the Park. On August 12, 2022, BWS collected from five (5) water sources instead of the seven (7) sources that actually serve the park. The seven water sources that should have been sampled are Kalihi Shaft, Wilder Wells, Punanani Wells, Aina Koa Well II, Kaimuki Pumping Station, Punaluu Wells II and Waihee Tunnel. The two water sources that were missed and not collected are Punaluu Wells II and Waihee Tunnel. BWS detected the error on September 8, 2022 during a routine record audit and notified DOH that day.
This is not an emergency. Though the required language in the first paragraph states “…cannot be sure of the quality of your drinking water during that time.”, the BWS assures you the water was safe to drink and continues to be safe today because the water from all seven (7) pumping stations is continuously disinfected before it is served to the public. However, as our customers, you have a right to know that we incurred a rule violation and what we are doing to correct the situation.
What This Means
There is nothing you need to do. You do not need to boil your water or take any other corrective actions. You may continue to use and drink the tap water.
Corrective Action in Response To Incident
The BWS has updated its standard operating procedure (SOP) to include information from its Water System Operation Division to identify all water sources serving any routine monitoring sample point found to have positive coliform results.
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.
If you have any questions please contact the BWS Communications Office at
808-748-5041 or email at contactus@hbws.org.
State Water System ID#: 331 Date Distributed: March 13, 2023
(SA1406212 3/26, 3/29/23)
