NEWS RELEASES
For Immediate Release
March 21, 2026
Reminder: BWS Asks for Water Conservation During Storm Duration
HONOLULU – The Board of Water Supply (BWS) urges all residents to continue to conserve water during this weekend’s storm and use it for essential purposes only – drinking, cooking, and hygiene.
Power outages are impacting BWS’s entire water system serving the North Shore community, from Waialua and Mokulēʻia all the way around the top of the island to Kawela.
All residents, especially those without power, should keep water use to an absolute minimum and should not fill containers at this time. All BWS pumps need electricity to operate. During a power outage, the BWS will have limited ability to pump water out of its wells and other water sources and up to reservoirs. Until power can be restored, the water left in the reservoirs will be all that is available.
“By limiting water use, you will do your part to help your community have enough water for their needs during the outage,” said BWS Manager and Chief Engineer Ernie Lau. “We need everyone’s kōkua in this effort. Mahalo!”
After power is restored, the BWS asks that residents continue to conserve water, as time is required to allow the electrically powered pumps to replenish reservoirs to normal levels.
The BWS also hopes to restore water service this morning to customers in ʻAhuimanu who were experiencing no water or low water pressures last night as a result of an earlier break on a property line at Valley of the Temples that drained the community’s reservoir.
Residents should stay tuned to news reports and sign up to receive email, text message, or push notification alerts from BWS and other emergency response agencies through the HNLAlert app. Sign up at hnlalert.gov.
About the Board of Water Supply
The Board of Water Supply (BWS), a semi-autonomous agency of the City and County of Honolulu, manages Oʻahu’s municipal water resources and distribution system. As the largest water utility in the State, the BWS serves approximately one million customers on Oʻahu. The BWS embraces its mission of “Water for Life – Ka Wai Ola” – to provide a safe, dependable, and affordable water supply, now and into the future. Uwē ka lani, ola ka honua – “When the heavens weep, the earth lives.” For more information, visit www.boardofwatersupply.com, follow @BWSHonolulu or like the BWS’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BWSHonolulu.
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Contact:
Kathleen Elliott-Pahinui
Public Information Officer
Honolulu Board of Water Supply
Phone: (808) 748-5319