Lihu’e hardest hit by hot-weather demand Dry weather conditions and below-normal rainfall have prompted the Kaua’i County Water Department to ask the public to conserve water. Lihu’e, the island’s business center, has been hit the hardest because of increased water
Lihu’e hardest hit by hot-weather demand
Dry weather conditions and below-normal rainfall have prompted the Kaua’i County Water Department to ask the public to conserve water.
Lihu’e, the island’s business center, has been hit the hardest because of increased water use during hot weather, according to the National Weather Service.
“It is not necessarily a water shortage, but there is increasing demand that has brought about the demand to conserve water,” said Kevin Kodama, senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service on Oahu.
The dry weather has prompted more watering of lawns, Kodama said.
As a way to support ongoing water conservation programs islandwide, the Water Department is asking Kauaians to take short showers and to cut back on the watering of lawns, according to spokeswoman Kymm Solchaga.
The Lihu’e Airport, hotels, shopping centers and condominium complexes throughout the island will be asked to reduce water consumption, Solchaga said.
For Lihu’e, the National Weather Service said the year-to-date rainfall for the area has been less than 50 percent of normal.
Water problems were worse the year before but didn’t stir concern, Kodama said.
Between January and April 2000, Lihu’e Airport recorded 6.9 inches of rain, as opposed to 9.7 inches for the same period this year, Kodama said.
“In April, we were in good shape, except for Lihu’e,” he said.
For the Lihu’e area, groundwater levels in aquifers are below normal due to the low rainfall, according to the Water Department said.
Consumers have reported a drop in water pressure or air coming out of faucets, Solchaga said, and the wells in Lihu’e are starting to have difficulty in keeping up with demand.
In the government sector, the Kaua’i County Parks and Recreation Division has implemented a plan to scale back water use at parks in Lihu’e, according to Beth Tokioka, county spokeswoman.
The parks division is the county government’s biggest water user.
Stanley Doi of the state Department of Accounting and General Services, which maintains state government buildings in Lihu’e, such as the courthouse, the State Building and Department of Health building, said budget constraints have already pushed his agency to conserve on utilities, including water.
In the private sector, Mark Gregory, property manager at Kukui Grove Shopping Center in Lihu’e, which has 50 stores and restaurants, said efforts are under way to “look into conserving water.”
Representatives for Wilcox Memorial Hospital, a large water user in Lihu’e, couldn’t be reached for comment on any conservation plans.
Water shortages have not developed in the North Shore area or in west Kaua’i, but a National Weather Service official said drought conditions could hit the west side of the island again.
“You take a look at the Waimea River,” the official said. “It doesn’t look like any water is coming out of there.”
Past drought conditions that raised the potential for fires prompted the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to temporarily close hunting areas in Koke’e.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
