Honolulu's water officials have issued a reassuring message to residents from Waipahu to Makaha concerning the safety of their drinking water following the detection of E. coli bacteria at one of the BWS Kunia Wells III. The infected sample was taken from a routine sampling site at East Kapolei Fire Station on Wednesday. After additional testing, it was determined that only pump #1 from Kunia Wells III returned a positive result for the bacteria, as reported by KHON2.
The Board of Water Supply responded quickly, shutting down the affected pump and initiating further sampling; indeed, repeat samples collected on January 24 from the same pump were found to be negative for E. coli, as noted in a Hawaii News Now update. This well serves a variety of community sites, including Waipahu Elementary School and the ‘Ewa Town Center. In response to the incident, Board of Water Supply officials stated, "The tap water remains safe to drink because the raw water from this source is disinfected with chlorine before it goes to any customers. For this reason, no further action is required by customers."
Ensuring the community's peace of mind, the Board of Water Supply has launched a thorough investigation into the cause of the contamination and has advised that Kunia Wells III, pump #1 will remain offline until the Health Department's approval is secured. In the meanwhile, Board of Water Supply has continued to assure the public of the safety of their drinking water, emphasizing the routine chlorination process that disinfects the water before it reaches consumer taps, as reported by Hawaii News Now.
Residents seeking additional information have been directed to contact the BWS Water Quality Division at (808) 722-6494 or (808) 343-0226, further details are also available through the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1(800) 426-4791, and the BWS has promised to issue an update on the situation, which was subsequently shared with the public on January 26, as per KHON 2.
