Windward water break blocks highway, closes school
By Curtis Lum and Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Staff Writers
PUNALU'U — Residents along the entire Windward O'ahu coast are being asked to conserve water at least until tonight after a 30-inch water main ruptured near Punalu'u Beach Park yesterday.
Late last night, the Department of Education also announced that Ka'a'awa Elementary School will be closed today because it had no water service.
The break occurred at about 2:45 p.m. yesterday and police were forced to close Kamehameha Highway in both directions.
One lane of traffic was open to contra-flow traffic at 6:45 p.m., but the highway was closed again at about 10 last night while Honolulu Board of Water Supply crews excavated the area around the break.
Denise DeCosta, Water Supply spokeswoman, said crews hoped to complete the excavation and reopen one lane some time this morning. The entire repair work isn't expected to be wrapped up until this evening at the earliest, she said.
When the break occurred, water service in the area was immediately affected. "It drained the Kahana reservoir," DeCosta said. "The reservoir was at 22 feet when the pipe broke. Within a very short time it went down to 4 feet. So a lot of water was lost."
Motorists are being advised to avoid driving through the area today.
About 25 homes near the area were without water last night, forcing residents to fill jugs and buckets at a water truck at the beach park.
DeCosta said Water Supply officials were able to reroute water from other reservoirs so most of the neighboring communities could have water.
The cause of the break was being investigated.
Once the repair work is completed, DeCosta said it still will take six to eight hours before water service is completely restored.
"We have to refill Kahana reservoir and then have water flowing through 20 miles of pipe, so it will take all afternoon and evening to get it done. So we need people to just use water carefully," she said.
The Board of Water Supply appealed to customers from Punalu'u to Waimanalo to conserve water at least until this evening.
Late yesterday afternoon, Punalu'u Restaurant was without water and couldn't wash any dishes.
Once the dishes ran out the restaurant would have to close, said cook Sam Garvida.
"We no more water," Garvida said. "Toilets gotta shut down, cannot wash dishes."
The rupture occurred in an area where installation of a new 30-inch transmission main is under way, a backup for the line that burst. A 12-inch main also runs parallel to the 30-inch line, and both lines were shut down.
"Crews believed that the larger of the two mains had ruptured," DeCosta said.
Kurt Silva said his wife called about 4 p.m. to say she was stuck in traffic on the Kane'ohe side.
Silva hoped to hear from her again to let her know she should come as close as she could, leave the car and he would pick her up.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
