1999-10-27 Charter Commission Minutes

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minutes 10-27-99Page 18 of 48 with the transfer. I think there are other things we can do with it, so I’d like you to look at that, and the fact that Sewers has a million and a half that they haven’t collected, that is a possibility. But, I think, also, when you look at Honolulu’s management of their water system, they’re running out of drinking water, and they will tell you that, so I would not look at them as a very exemplary management system in any way, so I just wanted to put that in the pipeline, that that’s not a management system that I’d look at. But I really like the global perspective of looking at it all at once. PAVAO: Just a comment. In all fairness to the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, they try to operate a very efficient system. The fact that they’re running out of water is not their fault. It’s population and the capacity of the aquifer. I know the people at Honolulu Board of Water Supply, and they’re probably the hardest working people I know. They try to do the best for everybody. The fact that they’re running out of water is not their fault. HERKES: Thank you. I don’t agree, but thank you. I would have expected that. IRVINE: Maybe we could work out a system and start selling water to them if we have so much here, and then your department will just make enough money to pay off the debt for Sewers. PAVAO: Good idea. Good idea. RAY: Okay, let’s get back on track here. Other comments? SANTANGELO: Jiro, when you said you’re injecting this back into the ground, where are you injecting this? Just general location. At 500 foot, 10,000 foot? SUMADA: Well, in Kona we are. HERKES: Below the IUC? RAY: It’s Kealakehe. SUMADA: At Kealakehe, the treatment plant. SANTANGELO: Okay, and what quality water are you injecting? SUMADA: I think it’s R2. SANTANGELO: R2? So, R1 is what? SUMADA: R1 is at a quality that it can be re-used. SANTANGELO: Potable. SUMADA: No, it’s not potable, but it can be used for irrigation, like on golf courses or in agricultural purposes with some restrictions. SANTANGELO: There is none that can be recycled in potable, but isn’t there a scientific point at which we call it potable? Now, here’s the thing, again, I went through a whole bunch of this stuff. It’s beyond me, and that’s why I say, we’ve got to look at what’s really our purview, but in most large municipalities, you don’t put the two together. file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 10-27-99.html7/1/2011