OMA‘O — A new 500,000-gallon county Department of Water tank will expand water service to users in the Lawa‘i and Oma‘o communities of Kaua‘i, Daryl Kaneshiro, the Department of Water Board chair, said Monday at a dedication of the new
OMA‘O — A new 500,000-gallon county Department of Water tank will expand water service to users in the Lawa‘i and Oma‘o communities of Kaua‘i, Daryl Kaneshiro, the Department of Water Board chair, said Monday at a dedication of the new equipment.
Lady Ipo Kahaunaele of Ke Akua Mana Church presided at the dedication and blessing of the new tank, which will supplement the existing 100,000-gallon tank at the Department of Water (DOW) Piwai water storage tank project in Oma‘o.
“My dad is almost 90 years old, and he would like to be able to pass on lands for agriculture to his children,” Kaneshiro said.
“This new tank will make that happen, and he is alive to see it.”
Kaneshiro was a member of the Kaua‘i County Council when the county first applied for a $60 million Build American Bond to support the new tank and other DOW improvement projects. The tank is part of the DOW Water Plan 2020 and is the first to be completed under the Build America Bond, he said.
DOW Manager and Chief Engineer David Craddick said in a county news release that the completion of the new tank has allowed the Board of Water Supply to rescind its interim storage policy for the Kekaha to Waimea Water System, which limited water service to a total of five single family dwelling units, or five 5/8-inch water meter per existing lot of record.
“This project is an excellent example of good planning and a true partnership between the county and the DOW,” Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said in a news release. “I commend the DOW for staying the course through wise management of one of our most precious resources.”
Kaua‘i County Council Chair Jay Furfaro said the new tank will “greatly” affect the residents of Oma‘o and Lawa‘i. “Water is the root of life,” he said.
The new 500,000-gallon tank and the adjacent 100,000-gallon tank will join the Akemama 250,000-gallon tank, which is almost 50 years old, Dustin Moises, project manager for the new tank, said.
The new tank that was dedicated Monday is critical to increasing the storage capacity for the Lawai-Oma‘o water system, the county’s news release states.
Visit www.kauaiwater.org for more information on the Water Plan 2020.
