EDITORIAL
Homeowners aren't worst water wasters

We're not expert hydrologists, but we think we're akamai enough to spot a trend.

Despite above-average rainfall the past two winters, the Board of Water Supply is sounding its annual alarm about water conservation.

Because of increasing use as well as a five-year drought, "we've been drawing on storage in the aquifer for a while now," said Chester Lao, a BWS hydrologist and geologist. "And you do not make that up in one or two years."

One reason the aquifer isn't fully restored is that it takes a long time for rainwater to seep through Ko'olau rock to reach it. But another reason is that our water use is approaching unsustainable levels.

We've gotten a bit weary of the annual reminders to check toilets for leaks, watch when we water lawns and the like. True, these add up to important and preventable sources of waste.

But these problems are marginal compared to some of the practices that government agencies seem bent on. Letter writers periodically point out, for instance, that sprinkler systems in parks and along highways are blasting during rainstorms and in blazing mid-day heat.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources has figured out that it can save 1.2 million gallons of water a year by retrofitting just five of its facilities. That's great, but where has DLNR been as the water supply folks have made their pleas year after year? And why is DLNR the only state department doing it?

Ultimately, the worst and most unconscionable waste is the city's sewer system, through which is flushed some 100 million gallons of drinking water per day.

Various technologies exist to recapture this water, purify it and reuse it. The repeated warnings from the Board of Water Supply suggest that O'ahu should be taking the lead in employing such technology — before our aquifers run dry.