As summer weather has become increasingly drier in recent months, business for water transporters has improved.

Despite the increase in cash flow, carriers – at least in East Hawaii – say Hawaii County is not doing enough to improve their operating efficiency.

“I wish they would listen to us water haulers and give us (more) access to water,” said Loke Medeiros of JB Water Hauling. “I don’t know how many years we’ve been asking for this, and we’re always denied access to water. Almost 80% of water haulers use faucets in Pahoa, but we have to serve Volcano, Hamakua and South Kona. And I have to go back to Hilo to fill my truck.

“Time, money – people can’t afford that.”

According to Kawika Uyehara, deputy director of the county water authority, there are two standpipes for commercial water haulers at the Keonepoko filling station just outside Pahoa and another standpipe in Keaau, near the Ke Kula ‘O Nawahiokalani’opu’u Public Charter School.

Additionally, there are gas stations with commercial standpipes at Ocean View in Ka’u and Hookena in South Kona.

“We have a lot of water haulers. Believe it or not, we have over 20 water trucks,” said Tammy Ortiz of K&T Water Hauling, who fills her trucks at the Keaau standpipe. “Do we have enough to serve the homes and businesses that we have? Absolutely.”

“The problem is the faucets. In Pahoa, commercial faucets should not have been mixed with residential faucets because it overloads the area.”

Medeiros, who fills her trucks at the Pahoa standpipe, said congestion in the area caused by the line of trucks as well as individual residents filling smaller containers has caused friction among people at the site and made the processes inefficient for water truck drivers.

“The amount of people we have here now and the inefficiency is ridiculous,” she said. “In Pahoa, there are five to seven trucks in line. It takes half an hour to fill a truck.”

“We can sit in line there for a few hours. And who suffers? The community.”

Medeiros recalled the drought in early 2023, when she applied to DWS for better access to water and received temporary permission to fill her truck at a fire hydrant on North Kulani Road. Medeiros said she was allowed to continue using the hydrant, but complained that when the rain returned, she and other truckers were left high and dry.

“Last year in January, when we had this drought here, they offered me (the hydrant). I paid for it,” she said. I spent more than $3,000 and went through all the hoops to satisfy the water authority. By the time they had everything set up, it was raining the next month. On May 1, we were told they were going to shut off our water service. They took the meter off, but they left the backflow prevention system, which cost $1,200, on.

“So if there’s another drought, what’s the point? They should have left the meter on. We had to pay for the meter, we had to buy the backflow, then hire a licensed plumber. And then there’s the non-refundable application fee for the water company. And all of this to help the community. And we got ripped off.”

Uyehara said that to be allowed to use fire hydrants for refilling, U.S. Drought Monitor observers must register a Category D2 or severe drought in the carriers’ service area for at least three weeks. Hawaii does have a circular Category D2 drought area, but it is in the Pohakuloa area, which is outside the county’s service area.

“When drought conditions developed in late 2022 and early 2023, we worked with some of the transportation companies, civil defense and fire departments,” he said. “And we allowed what we call temporary service at a hydrant for water transportation.”

“If the US Drought Monitor shows D2 for three weeks in a row, they could have a hydrant connection. But that would also mean that drought conditions would continue. Once it starts raining, that temporary connection would no longer be necessary.”

Carriers would need to apply, but DWS is not currently accepting applications as there are currently no D2 drought areas in its service area. Applications that are accepted are subject to a one-time, non-refundable fee of $300.

“That includes the cost of the meter and its placement and installation. I think they have to bring their own backflow preventer,” Uyehara said.

Talmadge Magno, the county’s civil defense director, said his agency was “in discussions with the Department of Public Works and the Water Department” about the possibility of worsening the drought – which has mostly reached drought level D0, or unusually dry, in most parts of the island.

“We are monitoring these things as well and our last meeting was last week,” Magno said. “We face this every time the dry season starts… but there is a system with the water supply authority where they can request additional taps, especially commercial water carriers… when it starts to get dry. They have to submit their request to the DWS and those places will be reactivated.”

Ortiz is looking for a more permanent solution.

“We have over 20 trucks and we have to make do with three gas stations. I say, ‘Why don’t we build a gas station next to the Kamehameha schools on this big open lot?'” she says. “Because when I come from Volcano, there’s nobody there. I could just stop there, fill up – and then drive back to Volcano or to my destination.”

“I’m driving to Keaau and I’ve got four Keaau service vehicles in front of me… and I have to wait there maybe two, two and a half hours. And then I have to get gas, I have to leave and then I have to go back to Keaau. So that’s the problem, that’s the interruption.”

Medeiros accused the county of not caring about the needs of transport companies and the population who depend on water deliveries by truck for their daily needs.

“If they had just left the meter on the hydrant in North Kulani, we could have scheduled all of our water deliveries to the upper Puna at the same time, and that would have been more efficient,” she said. “North Kulani to Volcano. North Kulani to Eden Roc. I could get to them all in an hour, an hour and 20 minutes. But instead it goes from Pahoa to Volcano, from Pahoa to Fern Forest.”

Magno acknowledged that the lack of rain has led to crowds at petrol stations and conflicts at water taps, especially among private individuals.

“Knowing that demand will increase, we’re asking people to be patient, follow the rules we’ve put in place for these sites and be courteous,” he said. “Make sure your home (catchment) systems are working properly and aren’t leaking – and use water sparingly.”

Email John Burnett at [email protected].