Private Wells in Keaau (Hawaiian Paradise Park: for sale, real estate, houses)

[iuki001]

I have seen some homes for sale in Keaau with private wells. Is there a way someone can find out if the well has previously gone dry on occasion. If you have a catchment and the water runs low, you can always haul in water, but you can’t do it with a well.

Any advice regarding private wells?

Mahalo for any input.

Judy (aka iuki001

[terracore]

When we were looking at houses in the area some of them were listed as having "wells" but they meant catchment. Wells aren't popular in the area with all the cesspools, arsenic, and porous rock. Most of the wells are at properties closer to sea level.

[movedintime]

For what it's worth; I considered the well idea. then realized everything on an island runs downhill. Not sure I'd want a well in an area of cesspools or old septic.

[iuki001]

Those same thoughts crossed my mind. I had never heard of private wells in Hawaii. I’m not fond of catchment systems either.

Thanks for the responses.

[harrypritikin]

Yes there are private wells in the Hawaiian Paradise Park area which is in the Keaau zip code. As far as I know, they are all on the ocean front. I have tasted the water myself and it's excellent. What's happening there is that a lava tube full of water is traveling under the area. It just go far out to sea and no salt water mixes with the fresh water. As I recall, the owner of the house said the well was only 20 feet deep. It's also highly unlikely that anything from the surface mixes with this water either. The upper area of the lava tube could be over 1,000 feet deep; although nobody knows. In any event, the water is pure and probably the best water on the island as it is chlorine free, unlike County water, and low in acid unlike catchment water. A lava tube is generally impervious to outside water because when formed the walls were molten rock that has solidified; hence very smooth (although I have seen water seeping into some tubes I have traveled in due to cracks. Some of these leaks had formed interesting stalactites made of quartz crystals). Mahalo, Harry M. Pritikin

[harrypritikin]

Forgot to mention, wells don't just work anywhere. The normal ground water is a huge upside down bell-shaped reservoir, the top of which goes from shore to shore under the entire island. The center is actually a little lower than the edges due to gravity. There are trillions of gallons. Problem is, if you tap into this close to shore, the water is brackish due to mixing with ocean water. By the time you get far enough back from the shore, you have to drill so far through solid rock, that the cost is totally prohibitive (I've heard up to a million dollars). So that's why everybody relies on the County Water Department to drill these wells and provide water to the public at a reasonable cost. However, if you are not on the County water line, and not along the Beach Road in HPP, catchment is your best solution. A modern catchment system provides water far superior to County water because it has no chlorine. A proper system keeps the dirt out of your tank and an ultraviolet filter kills any germs. The AMA has admitted that 80% of colon cancers are caused by chlorinated water. The claim of the chemical companies who sell the chlorine is that the dangers of other diseases justifies the risk. Maybe in cattle country on the Mainland, but certainly not the Big Island. That's why I got a whole house activated charcoal filer from Interisland Solar for my house which is on County water. I plan on installing a catchment system one of these days. Mahalo, your Hawaii Real Estate Professor