The Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) is the municipal water utility for the island of Oahu, State
of Hawaii, where over 90 percent of the potable water comes from aquifers. The BWS is
exploring all available water supply options as part of its mission to ensure Oahu residents have
the water resources needed today and in the future. Recycled water is one of these options. In
2000, the BWS launched a water recycling program through the purchase of the Honouliuli
Water Reclamation Facility. This facility currently produces R1 water, the highest quality
recycled water approved by the Hawaii Department of Health, that is irrigated on golf courses
and median strips over brackish groundwater. Opportunities also exist for irrigating R1 water
over the potable water aquifers in Central Oahu, but the possible impact on the aquifers is not
known. To evaluate the possible impact, the BWS is conducting a scientific study to determine
the level of constituent removal from R1 water through soil/aquifer treatment in Central Oahu.
This study discusses four major steps that include: comparing the chemical and microbiological
characteristics of recycled water and of other potential irrigation sources, and identifying
constituents of concern; conducting field studies to determine the fate of those constituents as
they pass through the top soil layer; performing laboratory soil-column studies and computer
modeling to evaluate issues that can't be practically evaluated in the field; and, recommending
appropriate levels of treatment and other water quality criteria to protect public health and the
potable aquifer.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 350 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 3 |
| Published : | 06/16/2002 |
