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Oʻahu's new water desalination facility gets $19M in federal funds

The Kalaeloa Community Development District (Kalaeloa) includes the land formerly occupied by the Barbers Point Naval Air Station, and consists of approximately 3,700 acres of land, including waterfront land, bounded by Ewa, Kapolei, and the Campbell Industrial Park.
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The Kalaeloa Community Development District (Kalaeloa) includes the land formerly occupied by the Barbers Point Naval Air Station, and consists of approximately 3,700 acres of land, including waterfront land, bounded by Ewa, Kapolei, and the Campbell Industrial Park.

The federal government is sending Oʻahu around $19 million for a facility to turn seawater into fresh water.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation recently announced a $142 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to “advance drought resilience and boost water supplies” across the country.

Some of that funding is going to the Oʻahu’s Kalaeloa Seawater Desalination Project.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply is in the middle of designing and building the facility, which will produce around 1.7 million gallons of drinking water daily — with the capacity for 5 million gallons daily if needed.

It’ll be located at Campbell Industrial Park and will use reverse osmosis to desalinate water. The goal is to reduce the community’s dependence on groundwater and help Oʻahu meet its long-term water needs.

It can also boost the state’s climate change resilience, said U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, because it can be a source of water during droughts.

“As we work to combat the impacts of climate change, it is important that we protect Hawaiʻi’s natural resources and strengthen our water infrastructure,” Hirono said in a statement.

“This project will help reduce reliance on our finite groundwater, while also creating a new reliable and sustainable water source on Oʻahu to meet increasing demand. Hawaiʻi’s families deserve access to clean, safe drinking water and I am glad this funding will support our sustainability efforts and community growth in West Oʻahu," she wrote.

The facility is projected to begin operations in 2027.

Mark Ladao is a news producer for Hawai'i Public Radio. Contact him at mladao@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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