KAILUA-KONA — Although the sewage spill that occurred when a sewer pipe ruptured Monday was stopped, Kailua Bay will remain closed to water activities for the rest of the week.
The leak was located on Palani Road fronting King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. Crews discovered the 55-year-old, 6-inch cast iron pipe corroded, causing the break. The bay remains closed from Kamakahonu Beach to Hulihe‘e Palace to 1,000 feet offshore until health officials are sure the waters are safe for swimming and fishing, the county Department of Environmental Management said Wednesday.
Officials said they don’t have an estimate of the amount of leakage, but Environmental Management submitted water sampling test results to the state Department of Health.
“The public will be kept informed on when it is safe to go back into the water,” said Environmental Management Director Bill Kucharski.
The pipe crack also led Mayor Harry Kim’s administration to look into replacing the aging infrastructure, something that could cost millions of dollars.
“Everyone knows the systems are old, but it’s been put off for years,” Kucharski said.
Kucharski added the department also is working with the EPA, looking at ways to upgrade and modernize the systems. Kim said the EPA has offered to bid out the evaluation and planning for the project on the county’s behalf.
Despite the estimated cost, Kucharski said he has the support of County Council members and the mayor. When the time comes to make the repairs, the county will find the money somewhere.
While the piping on Alii Drive is old, Kim said, it is part of the same old system that includes Hilo.
“This is a major, major problem, to tell you the truth,” Kim said. “This brings to light something we have to do.”
Email Tiffany DeMasters at tdemasters@westhawaiitoday.com.
