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Rainfall on watershed areas such as Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Kīlauea, Hualālai, and Kohala infiltrates the ground and is stored in underground aquifers. Dept. of Water Supply pumps this groundwater and delivers it to homes through a network of water mains where it is used for household activities and then disposed of through toilets or drains. Homes not connected to the municipal water system rely on rainwater catchment systems, or private groundwater wells, to collect and supply water for household use.
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Untreated wastewater from within the Pāpaʻikou and Paukaʻa area is conveyed through sewer mains to the Pāpaʻikou Wastewater Treatment Plant, where it undergoes secondary treatment and chlorine disinfection.
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All wastewater received at Pāpaʻikou Wastewater Treatment Plant undergoes secondary treatment and chlorine disinfection, then is discharged into the ocean through a coastal outfall located ~1.6 miles South of Papaʻikou.
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Treated wastewater flows through an outfall pipe and is discharged into receiving waters (the ocean). Once introduced, the wastewater can mix with the seawater and be carried by currents to nearby coral reefs, potentially affecting the health of these ecosystems (Lapointe 1997, Sutherland et al. 2010, Redding et al. 2013, Vega Thurber et al. 2014, Prouty et al. 2017).
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Hawai‘i Island Drinking Water Sources
Hawaiʻi Island relies primarily on underground water sources for drinking water, which are all dependent on a combination of natural factors: northeast trades, high mountain ranges, and the island’s geological landscape. The NE tradewinds drive clouds filled with moisture inland, the mountain ranges (Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Kīlauea, Hualālai, and Kohala) capture and force moisture-filled clouds to higher elevations which result in rainfall on watershed areas. Hawaiʻi Islands volcanic landscape serves as a natural filter and underground storage system of water. Rainwater percolates into the earth, naturally filtered by porous volcanic rock, and stored in aquifers. The aquifers are an underground freshwater reservoir storage from which the Department of Water Supply sources water to deliver to homes. Water is pumped from a network of shafts, water tunnels, and many wells then conveyed to homes through mains, booster systems and reservoirs. Homes / areas that do not have access to the municipal water system rely on rainwater catchment systems or private groundwater wells to collect and supply water for household use.
- Pāpa‘ikou-Pauka‘a Wastewater Treatment Plant Facility
Do You Know What Happens After You Flush?
- Pāpa‘ikou-Pauka‘a Wastewater Treatment Plant Facility
