Kalama Valley's pipes to be replaced

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer

HAWAI'I KAI — Kalama Valley residents are in for a year's worth of noise and traffic restrictions as the Board of Water Supply undertakes a $1.3 million project to install a new water main and pipelines.

The work involves Kealahou, Mokuhano, Honokahua, Kepaniwai and Ka'eleku streets and means that crews will dig a trench along these roads to install a new pipeline and 16-inch water main.

The project is expected to begin early next year.

Work will be done during normal work hours and at least one through lane of traffic will be maintained, according to an environmental assessment done by the Board of Water Supply.

As part of the project, 18 curb ramps will be built as part of the city's compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The work will be done in increments of 150 to 400 feet.

Much of the community was built in the 1970s and '80s, meaning the pipes are only about 30 years old.

But the new pipeline is necessary to take water out of the reservoir in the area, allowing existing pipes to be used to fill it from Honolulu's water supplies, said Kathryn Fujikami, a BWS civil engineer.

The change will make the reservoir operate more efficiently, Fujikami said.

"The purpose of the project is to improve the usage of the water reservoir and a side purpose is to increase the water pressure," she said.

"The pipes are old," said Charlie Rodgers, a Kalama Valley resident and chairman of the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board. "The Board of Water Supply worked in this area just recently. They trenched down the whole street."

In a project completed at the end of 2000, the BWS replaced an 8-inch water main along Honokahua, Kapaniwai and Ka'eleku streets at a cost of $332,000.

For the latest project, the board needs city approval for construction and state approval because part of the area falls in the state's conservation district.

"To delay the project means continued reliance on the existing transmission system," the board's assessment states. "Water users could experience service disruptions and associated inconveniences if a break occurs."

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.