Following a joint legislative briefing with the Navy and Honolulu Board of Water Supply, Senator Jarrett Keohokalole issued a statement today expressing his concern regarding information provided by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply relating to potential island-wide water shortage if the Navy’s Red Hill Water Shaft Recovering and Monitoring Plan is unsuccessful:
“The three wells in the vicinity of Red Hill (namely the Aiea well, Hālawa well, and Hālawa shaft) provide 20% of our island’s drinking water. The information shared by Mr. Ernie Lau during our joint committee briefing is deeply concerning. If they Navy’s plan is unsuccessful, the Board of Water Supply may not be able to safely reactivate these three wells, which could result in significant island-wide water shortages this summer.
The potential for water outages, rationing, and a moratorium on the issuance of new water meters is troubling. We cannot afford to find ourselves in that situation and the Senate and House Health committees are committed to working with the Navy and the Board of Water Supply to ensure that this plan is successful. We also urge the Navy to provide the Board of Water Supply with the information needed to avoid this potential catastrophe.”