Volunteer plumbers travel to Volcano Village to install catchment diverters at 30 homes
Those households are now better prepared for ash and tephra fall from the ongoing Kīlauea episodic eruptive activity, protecting the water supplies on which many of them depend.
8 hours ago
Ten teams of licensed plumbers and apprentices volunteered their time and expertise on Saturday to install water catchment diverters for 30 households in Volcano Village that have been impacted by ongoing ash and tephra fallout from Kīlauea.
The diverters allow homeowners to temporarily redirect rainwater away from their storage tanks when volcanic ash and tephra are present on rooftops, helping prevent contaminated runoff from entering household water supplies.
“When challenges arise, our communities have always found ways to care for one another,” said Vibrant Hawaiʻi Chief Executive Officer Janice Ikeda in a press release.
She added that the project “is a reminder that resilience is built through relationships and people willing to share their time, knowledge and expertise in service to their community.”
Courtesy Photo: Vibrant Hawaiʻi- Courtesy Photo: Vibrant Hawaiʻi
Many Volcano residents rely on rainwater catchment systems as their primary source of water.
Ash and tephra can accumulate on rooftops during periods of volcanic activity, such as lava fountaining episodes like those that began Dec. 23, 2024, within Halemaʻumaʻu Crater in the Kīlauea caldera. There have been 49 episodes of this ongoing eruption with no end in sight, and episode 50 forecast to fountain between June 25 and 27.
Vibrant Hawaiʻi partnered with Plumbers and Fitters UA Local 675, International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, local plumbing contractors and Hawaiʻi Community Foundation for the diverter installations.
Plumbers and Fitters UA Local 675 Business Manager and Financial Secretary-Treasurer Sam Barrett Jr. said the organization was more than happy to support efforts improving safety, sustainability and resiliency of people dependent on rainwater catchment for potable and non-potable use in locations around the Big Island, especially those systems particularly susceptible to volcanic material contamination.
The diverter installations were free to participating households because of collective efforts by the unions, Dorvin Leis Mechanical Co., Commercial Plumbing, Furuta Plumbing and HPM Building Supply.
