Three hundred Kilauea Elementary School students were sent home Tuesday morning after water service had been disrupted when two county electric pumps connected to a well in Kilauea had temporarily malfunctioned. The school was closed around 10 a.m. because the
Three hundred Kilauea Elementary School students were sent home Tuesday morning after water service had been disrupted when two county electric pumps connected to a well in Kilauea had temporarily malfunctioned.
The school was closed around 10 a.m. because the lack of water posed health concerns, according to Daniel Hamada, superintendent of Kaua’i schools.
In addition, the A-plus after school education program was canceled because of the lack of water at the north shore school.
The school will reopen when full water service is restored, Hamada said.
Kymm Solchaga, public information specialist for the Kaua’i County Water Department, said the department had received reports of low water pressure from Kilauea residents before 8:30 a.m.
A district water chief with the department was sent to the scene, assessed the damage and ordered the electrical repair work on the pumps to begin, Solchaga said.
She said Water Department crews repaired one of the two pumps 10 a.m. and that repairs were underway for the second pump.
In the meantime, the Water Department asked the public to conserve water until both water pumps were operational and able to pump water to two 250,000 gallon tanks, Solchaga said.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
