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Kokua Line
Helicopter hauling
Question: On Dec. 14, a helicopter rattled our windows again for four or more hours, about the 20th time in the previous three months. It hovered at the back of Palolo Valley and came and went all day. I asked Fred Kobashikawa (the Hawaiian Electric Co. spokesman) about it, and he denied that it was Heco although they are usually the helicopter noise source flying over and checking lines. Also, and more important to me, is the fact that over the past couple of years, Heco has replaced the high-power lines along the Koolau ridges at the back of valley. They are now much bigger tower-like structures spoiling the mountain view. Was any public hearing held? Manoa Valley would be up in arms at the hideous sight.
water pipe in valleyAnswer: Don't blame Hawaiian Electric for the noisy chopper. The Board of Water Supply says it's one of theirs.
A Board of Water Supply contractor has hired a helicopter to airlift pipe, cement and equipment into the mountains for work to install a new 8-inch water line, said Clifford Jamile, manager and chief engineer.
Work started in August and is scheduled to be finished in May, although it may be completed two to three months early, he said.
The new line -- replacing a "badly leaking 6-inch pipe" -- runs for 1.5 miles from the agency's Palolo Tunnel to the end of Waiomao Street in Palolo through areas inaccessible by truck, he said.
You'll have to endure the noise awhile longer. The helicopter will be needed for about two more weeks, until crews complete pressure testing on the new line and chlorinate the system, Jamile said. Once that's done, the new pipeline can be activated, bringing water to the East Honolulu/Wilhelmina area.
"We apologize to Palolo area residents for the noise problems caused by use of the helicopter," Jamile said.
Meanwhile, Hawaiian Electric also has been using a helicopter for work on the Palolo and Waimanalo ridges, but all its flights are staged from Maunawili, Kobashikawa said.
Regarding the towers, he said no public hearing was required for ongoing work to replace two 55-foot transmission structures in the back of Palolo with 65-foot-tall towers.
"We did get approval from DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources) to do this replacement and informed the neighborhood boards, legislators and Council members in the affected areas -- Kailua, Waimanalo and Palolo," he said.
The towers deliver electricity via Heco's northern transmission corridor -- from Windward Oahu over the Koolau Mountains to Heco's Pukele substation in Palolo.
"The existing aluminum structures were built in the 1960s and had deteriorated," Kobashikawa said. The old lattice towers, with many interconnecting parts, were replaced in the same locations by "stronger, tubular steel H-frame structures."
The new towers are taller because they were built over the existing structures, allowing the old lines to remain "energized" until the switch-over and offering a safe electrical clearance distance, Kobashikawa said.
One tower was completed before last summer. Work is expected to continue for another month, depending on weather conditions, on the second tower.
Mahalo
To the gentleman who turned my wallet in to the Honolulu Post Office on Jan. 5. May your kindness be rewarded by an abundance of good fortune. -- D.C.
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
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