90,000 under boil water advisory following main breaks on Pearl-Harbor Hickam line

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A boil water advisory has been issued for 93,000 users on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and surrounding areas following water main breaks Friday.

The breaks have also forced the closure of schools, child development centers, NEX food court, and Pearl Harbor attractions served by the line.

There was no immediate timeline for when repairs would be complete and the advisory lifted.

The first break of a 36-inch water line happened about 4 a.m. near the HECO power station on Kamehameha Highway, officials said. That apparently caused a second break at the joint base annex.

And coincidentally, a car crash later in the morning caused a third break at Salt Lake Boulevard.

Some users on the military water system have no water while others have low pressure.

And everyone on the line is on the boil water advisory. Officials stressed that’s not because of any threat of fuel contamination, but to protect against bacteria or dirt that makes it into the system.

“I’m not concerned about fuel whatsoever. What I’m concerned about is potentially soil or bacteria. It’s a low possibility. I want to make sure that our water is safe and I want to make sure we so this at the speed of safety,” said Capt. Mark Sohaney, Commanding Officer, Joint Base Pearl-Harbor Hickam.

The breaks have closed:

• Pearl Harbor National Memorial
• Iroquois Point Elementary
• The Navy Exchange food court
• Navy-Marine Golf Course

Officials said impacted customers with some water service are being asked to conserve.

The Joint Base Emergency Operations Center said it has assembled to respond to the incident.

“My gut reaction is is this happening all over again. Are we going to continue to have leaks everywhere,” said Lou.

She lives Radford Housing and was sickened during last year’s fuel leaks which left 93,000 water users without drinkable tap water for months.

“I just feel very scared,” she said.

Military officials are distributing bottled water at the NEX.

For updates on the situation, click here.

This story will be updated.

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