It also can mean water that people can drink. These types of water do not have much salt in them. It usually means water from the lakes, rivers, snow, and ice. “To not have the water fixed by now, it’s just unconscionable,” he said.Fresh water (also 'freshwater' or 'fresh-water') is water that does not have a lot of salt in it. Keven Rinkenbach, a Kapaa resident, said he’s worked as a general contractor for four decades and plays volleyball at Hapuna Beach every Saturday. Richards, a large animal veterinarian and cattle rancher, agreed that running “500 feet of pipe,” in his words, shouldn’t be that hard. “It makes DLNR look totally inept.”īeittel said she knows several farmers and ranchers who regularly run irrigation lines to their crops and livestock who find the Hapuna Beach situation confounding. “It’s pretty outrageous,” said Lynn Beittel, a Waimea resident who uses Hapuna on a weekly basis. Regular users of Hapuna Beach are scratching their heads, wondering why the repairs have taken so long. Volleyball is among the popular activities at Hapuna Beach. Tarnas vowed to continue pressing state officials to expedite the project or, at minimum, reduce any further delays in its completion. “We have several more months to deal with unacceptable conditions at Hapuna,” he said by email. Tarnas said the community is very frustrated by the additional delays. “They broke their word,” Richards said Thursday, summing up the problem to bureaucracy. The agency has $3.7 million in capital improvement funds to redo Hapuna’s water system.Ĭottrell assured Richards in February and as recently as May that the water would be turned on by July, the senator said. It referenced additional permitting consultations with the State Historic Preservation Division and the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands, as well as shifts in the type of contracts to be awarded. David Arnado, state parks district superintendent for Hawaii island, said he could not speak to a reporter without permission from DLNR’s communications office.ĭLNR’s communications office provided a lengthy email with a bullet-pointed timeline outlining the delay. “I expect additional delays due to the acquisition and shipping of the pipe materials to the site,” Cottrell wrote.Ĭottrell could not be reached for comment. 25.īecause the fresh water system has been broken for months at Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area, visitors must use portable restrooms. Agency staff will review them and award a contract by Aug. David Tarnas, who represents North and South Kohala.Ĭottrell told the lawmaker in an email that people who planned to bid on the work asked for an extension, which he granted. That work was supposed to be finished by the end of July, but the design elements underwent a “major change” after the topography was inspected, according to an update State Parks Administrator Curt Cottrell provided Rep. The plan was to run temporary, above-ground water lines to the showers and bathrooms at Hapuna while an engineering study was carried out for a permanent solution. It has leaked on and off since 2018 and at least 41 attempts have been made to fix it, according to DLNR. (Courtesy: Lynn Beittel/2023)ĭespite its popularity among tourists and locals, the water system has been dry since October and has had problems for years. Fresh water at Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area has been unavailable since October. Located on the sun-baked Kohala Coast, Hapuna Beach is consistently ranked as one of Hawaii’s top beaches because of its sugary white sand and clear, turquoise water. Tim Richards, who represents Hawaii island’s north shore. “To say I’m furious would be grossly understating my feelings,” said Sen. Now, due to design changes among other issues, the work is not expected to start until the end of September. The Department of Land and Natural Resources had targeted a short-term solution for Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area by Monday, but that didn’t happen.
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