O'ahu water use drops by 2 million gallons a day

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

O'ahu water users eased off on the tap in the past week, continuing efforts to ward off mandatory rationing.

"Customers are to be commended for reducing overall water use," said Clifford Jamile, manager and chief engineer of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply.

Jamile said overall water use for the week of Aug. 21-27 dipped by more than 2 million gallons per day, to 168.51 gallons per day. Consumption the previous week averaged 170.78 million gallons per day.

During the same week last year, customers were using nearly 4 million gallons per day more than this week, yet another indication that businesses, government agencies and residents are trying to stick by a voluntary irrigation schedule requested by the Board of Water Supply after another year of drought caused well levels to fall dangerously low.

The danger isn't over, Jamile said. Well levels continue to drop, and users are asked to remain diligent.

Water use in the Honolulu and Windward districts was up by 0.61 million gallons per day and 0.31 million gallons per day, respectively. Wahiawa was also up slightly, by 0.06 million gallons per day.

All other districts went down in water use, with the Pearl Harbor district leading the island at a reduction of 2.67 million gallons per day and 'Ewa-Wai'anae at 0.52 million gallons per day.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jane Campbell said city figures show that water use by the Navy had dropped by 19.5 percent between July 2002 and July 2003, and was down by 11.2 percent so far this month.

"We're smart enough to realize that it isn't just our water," she said. "It all comes from the same aquifer."

Marilyn Gilbert, a Kailua resident who yesterday afternoon was buying plants at Koolau Farmers, Inc., a nursery in Kailua, said she was careful not to be wasteful but had not cut back that much on her watering.

"I have invested a lot of money and a lot of time in my plants," she said. "And I see a lot of really green golf courses over here on the windward side."

"If they can water all those golf courses, I can be careful not to let my lawn die after spending thousands of dollars on it," she said.

Hugo DeVries, another Kailua resident who dropped by the nursery for a few items before picking up his daughter, said his family is trying to do its part.

"We've cut our watering in half," he said.

Bobbi Pang, the manager at Koolau, said the nursery cut back drastically on automatic sprinkler systems to conserve watering.

"Hand watering takes more time and is labor intensive, but that is our way of cutting back," she said. "And sometimes we wait until our plants are starving and drooping before we water."

The plants at Koolau Farmers seemed to be weathering it well.

The grass at Hawai'i Kai Golf Course, however, looked a little crispy. That is a situation that makes Myles Hirota, superintendent of Hawai'i Kai Golf Course, sigh heavily and frequently when talking about water use.

"We've been cutting back five to six years now. ... by 50 percent of our actual need," he said.

"A lot of parts of the course," he said, "are really dry."

Reach Karen Blakeman at kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2430.