LIHU‘E — County officials said in a press release that the Department of Water Lihu‘e pipeline-replacement project, funded through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), has been completed. The project involved the replacement of aging pipelines on Kalena,
LIHU‘E — County officials said in a press release that the Department of Water Lihu‘e pipeline-replacement project, funded through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), has been completed.
The project involved the replacement of aging pipelines on Kalena, Kress, ‘Ewalu, Halenani, Ho‘ala, Malama, and Pala streets, as well as a portion of ‘Umi Street, leaving the area with an infrastructure expected to last at least another 50 years, the release states.
“I commend the Department of Water for the improvements made to the Lihu‘e water system and their overall efforts to ensure that the people of Kaua‘i continue to receive safe, affordable and sufficient drinking water,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.
Project Engineer Dustin Moises said a lot of people were hired for the Lihu‘e project, including material suppliers, construction workers, along with government workers, and the completion deadline was met.
“There was a stringent timeline to accomplish the work, however, with the cooperation of government agencies, Cushnie Construction Co. Inc., and Lihu‘e residents and businesses, the project was actually completed ahead of schedule,” said Moises.
“Most importantly, the degraded infrastructure was replaced with new waterlines that allow the Department of Water to better serve our customers in the area,” said Moises.
“We are pleased that the Department of Water was able to secure ARRA funds to benefit the community and that we were given the opportunity to partner with them on this important project,” said Ralph Cushnie of Cushnie Construction.
“The project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget thanks to a good working relationship with the staff at both the Department of Water and the Department of Public Works,” Cushnie said.
United States Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai‘i, said “The purpose of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is to put people back to work and invest in critical infrastructure.
“The construction of the pipeline replacement for Lihu‘e town has improved water delivery and continues to ensure water quality, as well as provided jobs for the people of Kaua‘i,” said Inouye.
The ARRA appropriation was made by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and administered by the state Department of Health Safe Drinking Water Branch.
For more information, call the DOW at 245-5455 weekdays except county holidays between 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
