Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
One of the interesting things about our trip to the Big Island was that basically every morning on the west side, it was sunny. By 2-3pm, it would start raining for an hour or three. Then it would generally clear up and be sunny or at least clear again.
But when it rained...my goodness, we had the unfortunate luck of just finishing shopping at Costco and our car might as well been on the moon. We were completely soaked along with most of our crap by the time we made it across the parking lot. I've rarely been caught in rain that hard. Totally worth it for that ahi jerky though. OMG, so good...
Despite almost drowning in a Costco parking lot, we are happily planning another trip to the Big Island late next year. Rain doesn't get us down.
One of the interesting things about our trip to the Big Island was that basically every morning on the west side, it was sunny. By 2-3pm, it would start raining for an hour or three. Then it would generally clear up and be sunny or at least clear again.
But when it rained...my goodness, we had the unfortunate luck of just finishing shopping at Costco and our car might as well been on the moon. We were completely soaked along with most of our crap by the time we made it across the parking lot. I've rarely been caught in rain that hard. Totally worth it for that ahi jerky though. OMG, so good...
Despite almost drowning in a Costco parking lot, we are happily planning another trip to the Big Island late next year. Rain doesn't get us down.
I think that was an anomaly. There's a reason why all of the big resorts are on Kona side. And, Kailua Kona normally averages a little under 12 inches of rain a year.
Read the post, 'Back in the early eighties'. It was valid info THEN.
Merry Christmas po'o kukae
Whoah braddah... go easy on those pours. And try read um again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hotzcatz
They've already overbuilt for the water table.
Wrong. This is complete nonsense with zero scientific basis. The water table is not "overbuilt".
Quote:
Originally Posted by hotzcatz
Back in the early eighties, when you got a building permit to build a house, there was a nominal fee paid to the Board of Water Supply to get a water meter. It was mostly a paperwork processing fee, something like twenty to forty dollars or so. By the late eighties (this was during a huge construction boom) the fees had gone up into the thousands.
.
Wrong. The fees in the early 80's she is talking about are indeed the fees associated with the Board of Water Supply... but then she stated that SAME FEE (read it again, as needed sans beer goggles) went into the "thousands" by the late 80's. She is talking about two completely separate fees that are not associated with each other in any way. The fees you pay the BoW today (and in the 80's) are Water System Facilities Charges. They are nominal when compared to the Sewer Connection fee which is currently a whopping $6,616 per SFH (it was about $3,500 just 10 years ago).
Quote:
Originally Posted by hotzcatz
There's also some sort of worry with the aquifer that if it gets too low, it will become seawater. Not sure if it's some sort of inversion of fresh water / sea water or if the ocean will just seep in.
Wrong. There is zero scientific basis that if the aquifer gets too low, it will become contaminated with brackish/salt water. Freshwater is available far far below the water table. If you want to learn more about it, google "freshwater lens".
Quote:
Originally Posted by hotzcatz
Upcoming water difficulties is one of the reasons why we moved away from Oahu. But there were a lot of other more pressing reasons: traffic, crowding, costs for just about everything, a line anywhere you want to go, and then add to that the worries about upcoming lack of water, inability to feed themselves if there's a break in the supply chain, etc. etc. Oahu is still a great island, though, and some of those concerns are at this point merely worries. If it were thirty years ago, we'd still be living on Oahu.
Her concern about our water is obviously CURRENT (NOT ONLY in the 80's). She's only stated this concern about 50 times over the last several years here on this forum.
If there was an impending water crisis coming to Oahu, wouldn't you think the cost of water would skyrocket to encourage conservation? They haven't even bothered using that card yet because water is plentiful. Water is currently a small fraction of our monthly combined water/sewer fee. They could easily quadruple the water fees and they would still be less than the sewer fee alone. Freshwater will continue to be plentiful in the future despite massive population growth. In 30 years time, the average Oahu resident will probably do just fine on HALF the water we consume today. Conservation technology (and the future ability to INEXPENSIVELY desalinate water) is a wonderful thing.
As for the traffic, however... that's going to be a massive cluster!@#%.
If you could net Oahu to 1,000 problems (and you choose your multiplier) a water shortage seems to me rank 1,000 (where 1,000 is the least of our problems).
If anything - we have an over abundance of water. It's practically free. Desalinate? Who needs that here - there is very little effort effort to catch the rain we already get because we get so much. IF we ever had a water issue step 1 is to effectively capture what we already get.
I don't know where Oahu ranks in water cost but it has to rank among the lowest in the nation.
Edited to add:
Let's take a huge water maker place. Seattle.
Each 748 gallons costs a homeowner $5.06 for off peak usage.
If you could net Oahu to 1,000 problems (and you choose your multiplier) a water shortage seems to me rank 1,000 (where 1,000 is the least of our problems).
If anything - we have an over abundance of water. It's practically free.
Agreed. It is a non-problem, period.
Quote:
Originally Posted by whtviper1
Desalinate? Who needs that here - there is very little effort effort to catch the rain we already get because we get so much. IF we ever had a water issue step 1 is to effectively capture what we already get.
Desalination, could indeed be implemented (not necessarily by necessity, however) but we are many many years out from that. If we maintained similar rainfall numbers as we have over the last 100 years, you are correct - desalination would not need to come into the equation. But if we do suffer from an inordinate and unexpected massive spike in population growth over the next 10-20 years (not likely) and coincide that with long-term weather patterns that introduce never before experienced extended periods of extreme drought (not likely), AND rainwater collection technology (as you have mentioned above) does not advance AT ALL (not likely), desalination MIGHT be necessary to ensure consistent and status-quo water supplies to the general public. But even then, that would mean there would be little to no advancement in water conservation technology over the coming decades.
And we have a LONG WAY to go in adopting stricter water conservation measures that are already in use in other parts of the US and the world. To put in perspective how much we currently waste... the average person on Oahu consumes a whopping 150 gallons of freshwater per day. While the average person in Los Angeles consumes 73 gallons per day. We currently consume more than DOUBLE the amount of freshwater than those in California. Meanwhile, those living in the UK and Germany use only 37 and 46 gallons per day, respectively - ONE QUARTER the amount of water we consume here on Oahu.
Because of abundant sunshine here, electricity generation (NOT distribution) will become dirt-cheap in the very near future (about 1/10th the cost of current oil-produced electricity); the costs to desalinate would therefore plummet. The cost could go so low that water conservation technology would not need to be imposed on the public to ensure a healthy supply of freshwater. In other words, the advent and adoption of desalination could take us back to the days when water conservation was not necessary.
Oddly, some people don't understand that technology advances over time. They believe we live in a technological time warp and that we will be in the exact same technological situation in 10-20-30 years. And that humans cannot adapt, in any way, to environmental challenges through evolution. It's the exact same people that think self-driving cars are at least 30 years out. Quite frankly, it's hilarious.
This is how I feel about Maui :;. Maui is my first true love but it has changed so much over the last 30 years. I miss the expansive emerald green fields of sugar cane, and west Maui now feels like Disney World with what seems like 10,000 tourists per local. Such a different place I fell in love with over 25 years ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by YoungTraveler2011
3. Kauai Reason why it's #3 is because its too cloudy and rainy most of the time. Also, no beach really stands out compared to the other islands.
For me, Kauai is more similar to older Maui (although still waaay more quiet). There's nothing like waking up to lush Wainiha valley scenery and spending the day around Ke'e, Tunnels or Ha'ena. Those are some pretty fine beaches, and the rain is refreshing and always temporary. Best way I know to put the brakes on life... But to each their own .
Last edited by je4xff; 01-02-2017 at 01:04 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
But now I'm hungry.
.
