(BIVN) – Hawaiʻi County water officials say the tap water in Laupāhoehoe is safe to drink, following the discovery of trace amounts of chromium in one of the wells.
On Wednesday, the Hawaiʻi Department of Health announced that chromium was detected in water samples from the Laupāhoehoe P-2 Well, which is part of the County of Hawai‘i Department of Water Supply’s Laupāhoehoe-Kapehu system.
The Hawaiʻi County Department of Water Supply followed up with its own news release on Thursday, emphasizing that “there are no adverse health risks associated with consuming the drinking water.”
From the Hawaiʻi County DWS:
The Department of Water Supply (DWS), County of Hawai‘i, reassures Laupāhoehoe Water System customers that their tap water is safe to drink and that no health risks are associated with the recent discovery of chromium in recent water samples from Laupāhoehoe Well P-2. Chromium is an odorless and tasteless metallic element and is found naturally in rocks, plants, soil and volcanic dust, and animals.
Trace amounts of this naturally occurring element were detected in the recent required water samples to reactivate DWS’ Laupāhoehoe Well P-2 for use in the public water system. The detected chromium (total) levels ranged from 1.40 parts per billion (ppb) to 2.42 ppb, well below the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 100 ppb.
Laupāhoehoe Well P-2 has been offline and not in use since January 2021 while undergoing repairs. During that time, the nearby Laupāhoehoe Well P-1 has been the primary water source for the water system. Chromium (total) has not been detected in Laupāhoehoe Well P-1.
Since this is the first-time chromium has been detected in the Laupāhoehoe Well P-2 source, the State of Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) is required to and will be notifying the public of this previously undetected contaminant in the public drinking water supply.
Again, the public’s tap water is safe to drink. There are no adverse health risks associated with consuming the drinking water. DWS will update its customers and the public appropriately.