UPDATE: Hilo water restrictions canceled; Hilo schools set to reopen

UPDATE: 9 p.m. April 21: The Hawai’i County Department of Water has canceled its water restrictions for Downtown Hilo. Normal water use may resume.

UPDATE: 3:02 p.m. April 21: Hilo Union Elementary School, Hilo Intermediate, and Hilo High schools are scheduled to resume operation on Wednesday, April 22, after officials confirmed repairs to the water system have been completed.

The county Department of Water Supply said the work is complete, and school administrators verified that campus conditions are safe for the return of students and staff.

Original Post: Three public schools in Hilo are closed today due to an unexpected water outage affecting the campuses.

The Pi‘ihonua #3 tank near Carvalho Park, which serves the area, is at low levels, resulting in limited water service to Hilo High School, Hilo Union Elementary, and Hilo Intermediate, according to the Hawai‘i Department of Education.

“The tank unexpectedly went empty last night or early this morning and DWS crews are investigating the cause of this,” according to a news release from the Hawai‘i County Department of Water Supply.

The Department of Education is working with utility and facilities crews to restore service as quickly as possible.

It has also issued a water restriction notice for customers in the effected area, asking them to reduce water use by at least 25%.

The restriction is necessary to allow county crews to refill the tank.

The county asks customers to use water wisely and not waste it. For more information, call 808-961-8050 during normal business hours or email dws@hawaiidws.org. For after-hours emergencies, call 808-961-8790.

More information will be provided as it becomes available.