Hawaii Wells Possibly Contaminated with Asbestos

A recent report questions security at the Kawela water wells on Molokai, one of the group of Hawaiian Islands, after inspectors found part of a protective fence taken down and the site apparently used as a construction dump for electric panels and asbestos pipe, among other items.

According to officials, the fence came down to allow for the installation of a cinder-block wall, one or two courses of which have been completed. Otherwise, the site is unprotected on the western side, and no monitoring or signage prevents people from entering.

The Kawela Wells are part of a system of water supply, observation and ground water-quality stations across the Hawaiian Islands. Four of these (the Mapulehu, Ualapue, Kawela and Kaunakakai shafts), on Molokai, are managed by Maui County, and in 2008 two of them provided about 191,000 gallons of water per day for local residents, or slightly less than one-fifth of the island's drinking water supply.

Asbestos in a drinking water supply could present serious health problems, as the fibers from asbestos, once in the human body, are never removed by natural systems that flush out bacteria and other toxins. Once in the body, in the digestive system or the lungs, these fibers can lead to range of illnesses, from cancers to mesothelioma, a particularly lethal cancer of the mesothelial lining of the chest and abdomen.

Mesothelioma is one of the "silent killer" diseases, lying dormant for up to five decades before producing symptoms definitive enough to allow diagnosis. By then, however, the cancer has usually spread so extensively, and to so many vital organs, that cure is almost impossible, even with radical surgery or combination therapies. Most victims of mesothelioma are given from a year to 18 months to live. Ten percent may survive up to five years.

The problem at Kawela Wells was first noted by Kaunakakai resident J. William Feeter, who sent a letter and photos to the Department of Water Supply, the mayor and a city council chairman, as well as local news media Maui News.
Maui County spokeswoman Mahina Martin has informed the public that the incompleted wall is part of an ongoing project to relocate electric lines, and work was suspended to complete repairs on another well outside the area. Martin also reassured residents by saying Kawela well water is disinfected and meets all state and federal water quality standards.

In spite of that reassurance, Molokai had been experiencing water problems for the past two weeks, with Maui County water quality experts urging residents to use water only for the absolute necessities while repairs continued on a broken pump at the Kualapuu Well - a situation that led to the relocation of about 24 dialysis patients to nearby islands.

The wells have since been put back in service, so the emergency water tankers at Kaunakakai Regional Park - from which some residents withdrew drinking and washing water in their own containers - are no longer necessary. No information has been provided on well water quality testing re the presence or absence of asbestos.

Sources: Maui News, US Geological Service

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