Staff rushed to the site. Water-main breaks were not uncommon, but this site bore a specific risk. For much of the 20th century, this low-lying flatland was a main artery for channeling fuel from tankers in Honolulu Harbor through underground pipes to the rest of the island. Remnant pipelines and tanks now litter the subterranean landscape, and the toxic contents that once coursed through them have seeped into the ground, contaminating the earth. Read Full Article »
The Rising Tide Underfoot
Befo
re dawn on July 3, 2018, staff at the Board of Water Supply (BWS) on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, received a slew of phone calls alerting them to water gushing across an intersection along Nimitz Highway, the major thoroughfare that connects the harborside downtown area of Honolulu to the city’s airport. A water main had split, and its contents were bursting to the surface.
Staff rushed to the site. Water-main breaks were not uncommon, but this site bore a specific risk. For much of the 20th century, this low-lying flatland was a main artery for channeling fuel from tankers in Honolulu Harbor through underground pipes to the rest of the island. Remnant pipelines and tanks now litter the subterranean landscape, and the toxic contents that once coursed through them have seeped into the ground, contaminating the earth. Read Full Article »
Staff rushed to the site. Water-main breaks were not uncommon, but this site bore a specific risk. For much of the 20th century, this low-lying flatland was a main artery for channeling fuel from tankers in Honolulu Harbor through underground pipes to the rest of the island. Remnant pipelines and tanks now litter the subterranean landscape, and the toxic contents that once coursed through them have seeped into the ground, contaminating the earth. Read Full Article »
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