Waipahu school's water 'safe'

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Department of Health has declared the drinking water safe at Waipahu Intermediate School after school officials noticed milky-colored water coming from a faucet in one of the classrooms.

Health spokeswoman Janice Okubo said the department tested the water for bacteria, oil and grease, and petroleum hydrocarbons, but found no evidence of any contaminant.

The water in the school and surrounding areas also tested negative for chemicals by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, Okubo said.

"At this point our recommendation is going to be to reopen the school water system and allow full use of the water," Okubo said. "Evidence appears to point to only that one facet, which we understand has been replaced."

Okubo said no one is certain what caused the milky water, but she said the problem was intermittent. She also said the water had no known odor.

School principal Edward Oshiro said he was elated by the news, but said he will not allow the water in the problem room to be consumed just yet.

Oshiro said the faucet was changed and the pipes flushed, but he will ask the Health Department to periodically test the water.

Since Thursday, the school has placed 30 5-gallon bottles of water throughout the facility at a cost of about $2,000, Oshiro said. The Board of Water Supply also brought two 500-gallon water wagons to serve the school, he said.

If the water had tested positive for a hazardous substance, Oshiro said he was prepared to close the school.

"We're really concerned about the academic side, but safety is number one so we have to keep (the students) safe first," he said. "We wanted to wait until what the Department of Health and water supply said and then we would consider that an option because we wouldn't be able to sustain all the water forever."

Oshiro said there were no reports of illnesses linked to the murky water.

The school has an enrollment of 1,267 students in grades seven and eight.