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Is tap water not being allowed to drink in Honolulu?

Sarasota, Florida
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Is tap water not being allowed to drink in Honolulu?
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Hi All,

I am going to Hawaii tommorrow and just wanted to be on the same page with the rain and some rumors about not drinking tap water because of run-off. Is this true and a problem?

Thanks

S and J

Bayonne, France
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11,349 posts
1. Re: Is tap water not being allowed to drink in Honolulu?
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Honolulu has some of the purest drinking water in the world for a major city.....

It is pumped from deep underground after it has been filtered through hundreds of feet of lava rock; the best natural filter there is, and the claim to greatness made by many top bottled water producers (volvic, geyser springs, evian).

It is so clean, most source water does not require any after-source treatment or chlorination.

The department of water supply even offers some pretty neat tours if you are interested.

Sarasota, Florida
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2. Re: Is tap water not being allowed to drink in Honolulu?
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thx

Wow, I did not know it was that clean. that makes me feel much better about the whole raining thing- and flooding-as saw on the news

Bayonne, France
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11,349 posts
3. Re: Is tap water not being allowed to drink in Honolulu?
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And, to follow up....

Only in Waikane and Waiahole Valleys on Oahu is there significant use of surface water sources.

In the rural areas of Maui and the Big Island there are many homes (but very, very few commercial users) the depend upon surface sources or utilize rain catchment systems.

No reason at all to buy bottled water in Honolulu, unless it is a matter of personal taste.

We are a major US city, afterall, and one that pioneered many modern advances, including electricity, indoor plumbing, modern transit, and water source, storage and transmission techniques.

Sarasota, Florida
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4. Re: Is tap water not being allowed to drink in Honolulu?
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Hey do you know anything about the Home of the Brave Tour- and if so, during the Tropic Lightning Museum tour they take us threw, do you know if they herd us in there, so we cannot read anything? Or- is there not much to see? I hate tours that do not let us do the reading or thinking on our own- because I read everything!

Edina, Minnesota
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for Lanai
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5. Re: Is tap water not being allowed to drink in Honolulu?
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Unrelated to the recent rain, the Environmental Working Group just released their report on the carcinogin Chromium-6 in city drinking water, and Honolulu had the 2nd highest levels of the 35 cities that were tested. Here is a link the details:

http://static.ewg.org/reports/2010/chrome6/html/home.html

Now I have not done any research on this topic and know only what I have briefly read. So I don't know what conclusions to draw.

Bayonne, France
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6. Re: Is tap water not being allowed to drink in Honolulu?
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C'mon Doc, just throwing stuff out there (even with a disclaimer) is not too professional...

Some perspective is expected. Particularly since this revelation is "hot of the press".

Honolulu's level of 2.0 parts per billion is 1/50th the current EPA legal limit for Chromium, and the discussions on secondary specific testing and limits for -6 is pretty much a California thing at present.

If someone wants the specifics on water for any Honolulu neighborhood and how it compares with standards, just see the Board of water Supply testing results at:

http://www.hbws.org/cssweb/display.cfm?sid=1081

It's self-serving for them (of course), but to quote their copy:

"Oahu is blessed with water that is among the best quality in the world. At the Board of Water Supply (BWS), our job is to make sure it's also the safest."

Wrangell, Alaska
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7. Re: Is tap water not being allowed to drink in Honolulu?
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laymans terms......water is fine in Hawaii from the tap!

Now Mexico you have to worry about! Hawaii is fine!

Edina, Minnesota
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for Lanai
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8. Re: Is tap water not being allowed to drink in Honolulu?
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Amberloo, I don't think I was being unprofessional. The EWG is a well respected group that studied something that has been a concern for years. The Chromium-6 is a probable carcinogen, it is just that the EPA has not determined the know safe level. When I saw this post, I thought it was related to the Chromium-6 since this was fresh in the news this week. The issue of carcinogens in the water vs infecious contamination (like in Mexico) are two totally different issues.

I would not stop drinking water in Honolulu due to this story, but I will keep an eye on it in the future.

Kapaa, Hawaii
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You are right, doc, it may or may not be something to be concerned about. I don't drink the tap water here because I don't like the taste. This has nothing to do with anything in Mexico. Totally two different scenarios.

10. Re: Is tap water not being allowed to drink in Honolulu?

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