Kokua Line
Kokua Line
I just noticed that our tap water in Palolo smells like chlorine. Is that something new in Palolo that the Board of Water Supply did without notifying us? Chlorine in water supply
more frequent since 1991
Oahu's water supply has been chlorinated since the 1920s. But since 1991, because of stricter U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, the Board of Water Supply has increased the frequency of chlorination -- albeit not the amount used, said laboratory director Erwin Kawata."That's the reason why people may experience it now more than they have in the past," he said.
The agency pumps 150 million gallons of water each day into the system, islandwide. "Sixty percent of that water is chlorinated all the time," Kawata said, "so it's not unusual to experience some chlorinated water at the tap."
However, this is "area dependent."
"Because all the water pumps into the system, you have mixing going on," Kawata said.
"So it's very possible you will have places where you don't experience" chlorinated water, such as downtown Honolulu.
But "generally, since 1991, the number of areas that you can experience some chlorinated water has increased," he said.
Water for Palolo Valley comes from Palolo Tunnel; Palolo Well; and from Palolo 405 reservoirs 1 and 2, which receive water from the Beretania Pumping Station.
Palolo Tunnel is continuously chlorinated at a 0.1 milligrams per liter, according to the water agency. Palolo Well is chlorinated twice per month at the same rate.
Chlorination is used to remove the "occasional presence" of bacteria and because federal EPA rules prohibit any coliform bacteria in drinking water. Coliform bacteria indicate whether disease-causing micro-organisms may be present in water.
If you have concerns about the chlorination, call the microbiology laboratory at 527-5240.
When will the kolea birds be flying back to Alaska? They are so beautiful. Be on the lookout now, said Phil Bruner, professor of biology at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, director of the school's Museum of Natural History and a kolea, or golden plover, expert.
"Better than 90 percent of the population should be gone by the first of May," he said.
After 15 years of research, he's found that the birds, at least on Oahu, "over a period of five days on either side of the 25th, are pretty much out of here."
Everybody wants to know where to go to see them take flight, but there is nothing predictable about a time or place, he said.
And they leave in both big and small groups. At times, Bruner said, he's seen 200-300 plovers "sort of swarming up and down, circling high, then taking off north."
A good sign that they are ready to leave is when they start gathering. Plovers usually spread out over their own territories and are not typically found in groups.
Bruner advised you to seek "big open lawn areas," such as Sand Island Beach Park, Sandy Beach Park and Kualoa Park, especially later in the day, around 5 or 6 p.m.
Plovers spend their summers breeding in Alaska, then fly more than 4,000 miles nonstop to Hawaii in late August/early September. In April they make their return trip back, again nonstop.
To the driver of a forest green minivan. About 12:30 p.m. Sunday, March 1, heading Diamond Head on the H-1 just before the H-3 on-ramp, we were about to change to the left lane when you nearly sideswiped us -- two adults and a baby. You didn't even bother acknowledging what happened and just took off. We hope this was not your normal way of driving. -- J.J.D. Auwe
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com
