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Are there any future concerns among residents about availability of fresh water? As the apparent increase of inbound folks desiring to stay, may affect water demands, how will reverse osmosis desalinization plants manage the needs? Is there any discussion about practical limitations on numbers of people that want to reside on any given island? Resources may only go so far to provide for people, and at some point, will there need to be a "limit" ? Same thing for numbers of cars on roadways in a finite area. Should desiring residence immigrants to Hawaii be aware of the overall practical limitations of the islands?
Is anyone in state government "thinking" in those terms to advise newcomers? NOT tourists and dollar impact, BUT those that STAY, impacts. Eventually, the two will affect the other ?
Are there any future concerns among residents about availability of fresh water? As the apparent increase of inbound folks desiring to stay, may affect water demands, how will reverse osmosis desalinization plants manage the needs? Is there any discussion about practical limitations on numbers of people that want to reside on any given island? Resources may only go so far to provide for people, and at some point, will there need to be a "limit" ? Same thing for numbers of cars on roadways in a finite area. Should desiring residence immigrants to Hawaii be aware of the overall practical limitations of the islands?
Is anyone in state government "thinking" in those terms to advise newcomers? NOT tourists and dollar impact, BUT those that STAY, impacts. Eventually, the two will affect the other ?
No. Rainfall exceeds the islands' capacity for residents in other respects. No need for expensive desalinization.
YES ... there's a "Limit"! ... and the islands are, IMHO, already past it. Cars on roads, and virtually all other respects! Come visit. Then go back home.
Are there any future concerns among residents about availability of fresh water? As the apparent increase of inbound folks desiring to stay, may affect water demands, how will reverse osmosis desalinization plants manage the needs? Is there any discussion about practical limitations on numbers of people that want to reside on any given island? Resources may only go so far to provide for people, and at some point, will there need to be a "limit" ? Same thing for numbers of cars on roadways in a finite area. Should desiring residence immigrants to Hawaii be aware of the overall practical limitations of the islands?
Is anyone in state government "thinking" in those terms to advise newcomers? NOT tourists and dollar impact, BUT those that STAY, impacts. Eventually, the two will affect the other ?
Sounds like HILO/PUNA might be your place.
Tons of rain and a rain encatchment system already in place.
No. Rainfall exceeds the islands' capacity for residents in other respects. No need for expensive desalinization.
YES ... there's a "Limit"! ... and the islands are, IMHO, already past it. Cars on roads, and virtually all other respects! Come visit. Then go back home.
Jeepers ... my protest wasn't aimed at you specifically, if you thought so ... it is a generic chant
btw: you can call my "residence" in Hawaii "visiting" ... but, I actually maintain a real live residential address in Hawaii -- for many years (not a P.O. box) ... as I do in California and Washington, as well. I just don't occupy space in a traditional sense, nor use hardly any resources. I come and go seasonally and on a whim ... living on boats and in vans all places. I only own dirt in Washington at present, where I am a landlord as well as a squatter ... I don't even live in homes on my own properties.
Actually, the water table on Oahu has been dropping since the sixties. Back in the early eighties it wasn't all that expensive to get a water hookup for new construction, it was a mere paperwork processing fee more or less. Then, during the eighties, that mere processing fee went up into the thousands of dollars because they noticed the dropping water table. I have no idea what that fee is now to connect to the municipal water system.
The water reservoir on Oahu is sort of a large fresh water lens which somehow keeps the salt water out. I've heard mention that if it gets too low, then salt water will invade it and then all the drinking water on Oahu would become brackish. Since a lot of the island is paved now, a lot of the fresh water now goes directly to the ocean instead of going into the underground water reservoirs. Between the population pressure and the pavement, I don't think the reservoir is going to recover. I'm not sure how many years worth of water is stored underground anymore, either.
Actually, the water table on Oahu has been dropping since the sixties. Back in the early eighties it wasn't all that expensive to get a water hookup for new construction, it was a mere paperwork processing fee more or less. Then, during the eighties, that mere processing fee went up into the thousands of dollars because they noticed the dropping water table. I have no idea what that fee is now to connect to the municipal water system.
The water reservoir on Oahu is sort of a large fresh water lens which somehow keeps the salt water out. I've heard mention that if it gets too low, then salt water will invade it and then all the drinking water on Oahu would become brackish. Since a lot of the island is paved now, a lot of the fresh water now goes directly to the ocean instead of going into the underground water reservoirs. Between the population pressure and the pavement, I don't think the reservoir is going to recover. I'm not sure how many years worth of water is stored underground anymore, either.
True enough ... but bottom line is: there is more fresh water available through rainfall in the islands than there are other basis for ever increasing population growth ... we'll run out of buildable space long before we'd run out of fresh water
Actually, the water table on Oahu has been dropping since the sixties. Back in the early eighties it wasn't all that expensive to get a water hookup for new construction, it was a mere paperwork processing fee more or less. Then, during the eighties, that mere processing fee went up into the thousands of dollars because they noticed the dropping water table. I have no idea what that fee is now to connect to the municipal water system.
The water reservoir on Oahu is sort of a large fresh water lens which somehow keeps the salt water out. I've heard mention that if it gets too low, then salt water will invade it and then all the drinking water on Oahu would become brackish. Since a lot of the island is paved now, a lot of the fresh water now goes directly to the ocean instead of going into the underground water reservoirs. Between the population pressure and the pavement, I don't think the reservoir is going to recover. I'm not sure how many years worth of water is stored underground anymore, either.
Thanks, as I was curious, since South Florida, when I lived there 20 years, had a concern with encroachment of large housing tracts into the Everglades zone, that had naturally allowed rainwater percolation down into the underground aquifers for a fresh drinking water source. The recharge area was much larger than the literal tourist type Everglades area. Paving had greatly diminished the effects and aquifers became quite low and salt water intrusion occurred due to the lack of ground water . Many cities have changed at great expense to a different means of processing that handles salt water too. Population expansion has affected everything. The recession and housing market has , for now, halted some of it, but it will be back. At one time, 1,000 people per day were migrating into Florida, to live. Now, not so.
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