E. coli bacteria found in Board of Water Supply pump

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Board of Water Supply has detected E. coli bacteria in one of its pumps.
BWS reported Saturday a raw water sample prior to treatment from BWS Kalauao Wells pump 5 tested positive for the presence of E. coli bacteria.
Water from Kalauao Wells pump 5 serves the area from Aiea to Kahala.
Officials stress tap water remains safe to drink, because the raw water from this source is disinfected with chlorine before it goes to any customers. The public was not at risk of E. coli exposure, BWS said.
Federal and state drinking water rules require the BWS to notify the public of the finding. The state Department of Health was also notified.
The BWS said the detection occurred on Dec. 4 in a water sample collected on Dec. 3 from a routine sampling site on Ala Mahamoe Street.
E. coli testing requires at least 18 hours to complete.
On Dec. 5, BWS staff collected a repeat sample from the original site on Ala Mahamoe Street, as well as from all sources and all pumps at all stations that were serving Ala Mahamoe Street.
Kalauao Wells and Punanani Wells are the sources that serve Ala Mahamoe Street.
Of all the samples collected, BWS said only Kalauao Wells pump 5 was found E. coli positive on Dec. 6. The repeat sample from Ala Mahamoe Street and all samples collected from all other pumps at all other sources were all found E. coli negative.
In response to the E. coli positive from Kalauao Wells pump 5, BWS immediately collected five additional samples from Kalauao Wells pump 5, then shut the pump down.
The BWS, in consultation with DOH, is investigating to determine the reason for the E. coli presence. Kalauao Wells pump 5 will remain shut down until the BWS concludes its investigation, completes any necessary corrective measures, and receives DOH approval to resume Kalauao Wells pump 5 operation.
For more information, please contact the BWS Water Quality Division at (808) 202-4281 or (808) 343-0226 or the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1 (800) 426-4791.
Other samples taken in the area served by Kalauao Wells and Punanani Wells were collected on Dec. 3 — from Kalihi Kai Fire Station, Soto Mission, and Central Fire Station — and were also collected on Dec. 5 from Pizza Hut on N. Kuakini Street, Kalihi Kai Fire Station, Honolulu Bus Maintenance Facility, Lagoon Chinese Restaurant, Central Pacific Bank Mapunapuna, Moanalua Golf Course, Salt Lake Elementary School, Oahu Veterans Center, Extra Space Storage on Lawehana Street, and Kilauea District Park.
All also had chlorine present and all tested negative for E. coli, BWS said.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Ground Water Rule is a regulatory process aimed at reducing the potential risk of illness caused by microbial contamination in ground water. Under this rule, utilities must test the ground water sources when coliform is detected in any sample collected from the water system. If E. coli is then detected in a ground water source, the rule requires the public to be notified.
While an E. coli detection is not a rule violation, the rule still requires that the public be notified of the positive E. coli finding.
E. coli bacteria can exist in tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate soil and may persist in the soil for many years. E. coli is a fecal indicator and a microbe whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term health effects, such as diarrhea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.
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