Is Technology the Answer to Increasing Water Availability in Hawaii
Hawaii Waterfall by Taylor Lagorio
By Taylor Lagorio - HPU 2023
The Hawaiian islands have always been blessed with abundant rainfall, which in turn has allowed for urbanization throughout the islands. Water is a necessity of life and does not go unmentioned when looking at how humans have come to develop areas, especially large cities. On Oahu specifically over 145 million gallons of water per day is pumped out and around the island to a population of about one million. Water is pumped into homes everyday and often people do not think about the implications that occurred for water to be delivered to their homes. Most water used for municipal use in Hawaii comes from groundwater that is recharged from rainfall. Over the past 40 years all of the Hawaiian islands, especially Oahu, have experienced a notable decrease in average rainfall since the 1980’s. The wet season for Hawaii, from November to April, is producing precipitation rates below average more often than average rates are occurring at this point. While the reason for this drying cannot be directly labeled as relating to climate, it is believed to be a vector of this issue. Now, Hawaii must figure out how to keep supplying it’s citizens with water in a climate that appears to be drying up.
Technology has been a leading advancement in mitigation of possible climate change related issues. One very interesting new technological advancement for water conservation is what is known as the WaterSeer, created by VICI Labs. This a machine that pulls moisture from the air by blowing wind into an underground chamber, where the wind will eventually condense and become water. The device would have an above ground section that is composed of a wind turbine for collecting the air and a pipe to transport the air underground. Once underground there is a collection chamber that would gather the water. The concept behind the collection of water is that the temperature difference between the hotter above ground part of the device and the cooler below ground collection chamber will condense the air to become water. Best of all because the water comes from the air there would be no need for filtration of harmful chemicals. Obtaining the water after collection is as simple as connecting a hose and pumping the water out. This a possible solution for Hawaii in locating a new source of water as average rainfall is decreasing. This device is made specifically to be used in semi-arid conditions where rainfall is not abundant. As Oahu is seeing less average rainfall every year, and the leeward side of the island already does not average as much rainfall as the windward side, the WaterSeer could be a potential water source in the future. The machine is supposed to be able to produce up to 11 gallons of water per day. If it were to be implemented in Hawaii the amount of water produced would have to be upscaled to meet the demand of the large population. The device is still in the early prototype stage of its life, so hopefully one day if the device is successful Hawaii can consider investing in some of the machines in order to assure water will always be available, even if climate change decreases the average rainfall.
WaterSeer Device
While looking for new sources of water is a prominent way that the state of Hawaii can mitigate water availability issues, there is always the solution of conserving what is already provided. Water conservation through reusage in itself can help to reduce overall water usage from sources. The acting of reusing water is not the most popular idea with most people of any given area. The idea of reusing sewage water especially, for potable water in households is all too often disregarded because the idea in itself just sounds too crazy. How can anyone expect somebody to drink water that was once sewage? While in simple terms it seems like too ambitious of an idea, water reusage really is not that crazy. One leading device capable of performing this feat in a way never imagined before is the Janicki Omni Processor, from Janicki Bioenergy. This machine is so unique because it is able to not only take solid human feces and turns it into clean drinkable water in as little as five minutes, but also creates energy and ash as well. Human feces become drinking water for communities, energy for other use in the community such as electricity, and ash that can be added to soil, all in one go. Another great selling point of the device is that it is not just prototype but an up and running machine that is available for use currently. A device like this could save Hawaii millions of dollars every year in cut sewage treatment costs, less water distribution costs, increased energy availability, and even soil enhancements. The Janicki Omni Processor can process up to 14 tons of human waste per day. While Oahu does treat over 100 million gallons a day of wastewater, diverting some of the waste to the Janicki Omni Processor could reduce overall effluent discharge levels. This device could be a very real answer to the water crisis that may soon be upon Hawaii.
Janicki Omni Processor
The future of Hawaii’s near water availability may look challenging , but the future of water saving technologies is looking bright. There are means to obtain water in ways never imagined before and ways to conserve water in almost unbelievable practices. Hawaii can survive a water crisis if investments are made in water saving technologies. The future water availability of Hawaii can remain plentiful with the right investments.
Works Cited
Kunkel, K.E. “State Climate Summaries 2022.” Hawai'i - State Climate Summaries 2022, 1 Jan. 1970, https://statesummaries.ncics.org/chapter/hi/.
“Overview.” Sedron Technologies, Sedron Technologies , 2022, https://www.sedron.com/janicki-omni-processor/overview/.
“WaterSeer.” Waterseer - the Index Project, The Index Project , 2017, https://theindexproject.org/award/nominees/1372.
