ELEELE — It’s not every groundbreaking site that has an imu, said Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. — a sentiment echoed by Kahu Jade Waialeale-Battad of Ke Akua Mana Church Friday morning in Eleele.
“The project is important enough for Goodfellow Brothers, they brought out a strong showing of their orange shirts,” Waialeale-Battad said.
Waialeale-Battad officiated the Hanapepe-Eleele Water System Reorganization and Improvements Project ceremony that took place at “one of the connection points” in Eleele under the aromatic blanket of smoke wafting from the imu.
“This Water Plan 2020 project will not only improve water flow capacity for the Hanapepe and Eleele water systems,” said Bryan Wienand, the DOW manager and chief engineer. “But perhaps more importantly, it will interconnect the two systems, providing resiliency, improving reliability, and helping to ensure we can restore water service quickly during emergency-related events.”
The project is part of the Water Plan 2020 that addresses the need to upgrade aging water infrastructures on the island.
“The new installation of the 16-inch mainline will improve fire flow protection for the community,” said Dustin Moises, the DOW chief of construction. “It replaces the older pipeline that dates back to 1926. This project is a very comprehensive one that will include a new expansion pipeline from Hanapepe Town to Waialo Road near the Eleele Shopping Center that will create a loop in our system, making it more reliable, more energy efficient, and allow for expansion to support current and future water needs like the Lima Ola housing project.”
The work will include installation of the 16-inch main line along Kaumualii Highway, a new 6-inch main line replacement on Hanapepe Road, and installing appurtenances that will include additional 12-inch and 8-inch main lines, connections to existing waterlines, new service laterals, new water meters and boxes, new valves, new fire hydrants, an emergency booster pump connection in Eleele, and other restoration and repaving work.
Work will start Tuesday and is scheduled to be completed next July, weather permitting.
Goodfellow Brothers was awarded the contract for the $8,964,000 project. Moises said $4 million was granted from state legislative funding for construction with another $450,000 granted from the Legislature for the project design.
Subcontractors involved in the project include Grace Pacific, Harry Asato Painting, Wellington Fencing Co., Pural Water Specialty Co., Hawaii Pacific Trenchless, Esaki Surveying and Mapping, Geolabs, Cultural Surveys Hawaii, and Akinaka and Associates.
“The Department of Water is here to make a difference,” Moises said. “This project is another step in doing so — to fulfill our mission.”
