Smoke-testing of pipes will move to Keolu Hills tomorrow

By Anna Weaver
Advertiser Staff Writer

A Kailua smoke-testing project looking for leaky pipes that could cause sewage spills will resume tomorrow after a two-week break.

The city finished testing the Kailua Heights neighborhood a week ahead of schedule but did not want to push up testing in Keolu Hills without giving residents forewarning.

"It was faster than expected. That's unheard of," said Lori Kahikina-Moniz, of the Department of Environmental Services' Division of Collection System Maintenance. "It's just a (learning) curve right now. You can see the more testing we do, the faster we get."

The city will also start using a new smoke-testing machine tomorrow, which should further speed up the project. "The machine uses a liquid smoke," Kahikina-Moniz said. "The smoke is unlimited, you just keep putting it in." The older smoke-testing machines use smoke bombs that dissipate quickly.

Fifty-four of the 581 homes tested in Kailua Heights were found to have drainage pipe faults. Another 38 problems were detected in cleanout caps and five from rain gutters.

If a problem is found on private property, homeowners may have pay to fix it, from $4 for a new cleanout cap to thousands of dollars to replace underground pipes.

Kahikina-Moniz said she has not received any negative feedback from Kailua residents so far.

"Actually, it's the opposite. I've had people call me and they've said, 'Hey when are you going to do mine?' " she said, adding the callers were from Kalihi and Waikele. "It's really been positive."

As the project progresses, Kailua residents should expect a letter from the city two weeks before smoke-testing begins in their neighborhood, and door hangers will be put at homes a week before the testing.

The testing will move west through Keolu Hills and is slated to end on Oct. 29.

The smoke-testing's purpose is to pinpoint spots where rainwater can enter and overload the sewer system, causing spills like those in Kailua triggered by last winter's storms.

Reach Anna Weaver at aweaver@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2455.