Big Isle drains 2 Waimea reservoirs after leaks found

A third reservoir holding about 50 million gallons of water was not damaged

Big Island officials were draining and keeping a close watch on two reservoirs in Waimea last night that sprung leaks after last Sunday's earthquake.

Air bubbles, indicating leaks, have been rising from Waikoloa Reservoirs 1 and 2 since Friday. The reservoirs are located above Waimea in South Kohala and can hold a combined 119.3 million gallons of water when full.

A third reservoir holding about 50 million gallons of water was not damaged.

BY THE NUMBERS Big Island damage estimates as of last night. Numbers might not add up exactly because of rounding. The estimates are likely to increase. Also, there are conflicting estimates on damage to private homes. Here is the breakdown: $98.5M BIG ISLAND DAMAGE ESTIMATE $24.6M PRIVATE PROPERTY Includes: » N/A: 1,888 homes » $13.9 million: 454 businesses » $10 million: Four hospitals » $801,000: 31 farms $73.8M PUBLIC PROPERTY Includes: » $3.7 million: Buildings » $44.7 million: Schools » $10.2 million: Roads » $7.5 million: Bridges » $2.7 million: Water and sewer » $5 million: Kawaihae harbor Source: Hawaii County Civil Defense and FEMA

Officials said the pressure inside reservoirs 1 and 2 has been reduced enough so that there is no danger of the dams collapsing.

The county's Department of Water Supply will keep flushing the reservoirs until the bubbling stops, said Lanny Nakano, assistant administrator for the Hawaii Civil Defense Agency. The water department assured customers that the third reservoir has enough water supply that there will not be any shortages in Waimea or surrounding areas.

Milton Pavao, manager of the water branch, said it could take anywhere from five days to a month to refill the two reservoirs if they are emptied, depending on the flow of streams and rain.

Engineers suspect there could be as many as three 2- to 3-inch holes in the first reservoir, and two similar holes in the second one, according to Nakano. He said last Sunday's magnitude-6.7 earthquake and aftershocks could have damaged the reservoirs' concrete coating.

Donald Case, who lives a half-mile down from the reservoirs in Waimea, said scores of police officers were on standby.

Kamuela resident Frank Fuchino said some residents had feared the reservoirs could burst, causing a disaster like the one on Kauai on March 14, when the Kaloko Dam failed, killing seven people. The dam released as much as 300 million gallons of water.

The leaks were identified by engineers from the Department of Water Supply, state Department Land and Natural Resources, Federal Bureau of Reclamation and Army Corps of Engineers, according to Civil Defense.

Workers cut water access to the reservoirs at 7 p.m. Friday to begin releasing water into Waikoloa Stream to drain the reservoirs.

As of 6 p.m. last night, reservoir 1 was holding 29.79 million gallons of water, while reservoir 2 was at 34 million gallons. If needed, officials say both reservoirs could be fully drained by Monday.

In other quake-related news from the Big Island:

>>The Department of Education said yesterday Waikoloa Elementary School will not reopen tomorrow, as was hoped. It's possible the school will reopen on Tuesday. However, Honokaa Elementary School will reopen tomorrow.

» In Kona, the Ironman Triathlon World Championships went on as scheduled yesterday, although part of the bicycle route was reduced to one lane because of quake damage to a bridge on the Akoni Pule Highway.

None of the 1,777 registered athletes dropped out due to earthquake concerns, officials said.

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