HONOKOHAU — Commercial fisherman Tyler Hams makes his living on the water, and that living depends on keeping saltwater out of his motor and his equipment clean.
For that, he needs fresh water.
“I mean, I get it that there’s a water restriction,” Hams said at Honokohau Harbor on Friday. “This is how we make our living.”
Hams was one of many boaters and fishermen at the harbor on Friday who said an emergency restriction on water usage issued the day prior that ordered a halt on washing boats was unworkable.
The notice came down following the failure of the Keahuolu Deepwell and asks North Kona residents and customers to immediately restrict water usage to health and sanitation uses. Four other wells of the 13 that service the area have been inoperable since January.
A separate announcement from the mayor’s office said North Kona residents “must cease all other non-essential water use, including all irrigation and washing of vehicles and boats.”
In an update released Friday afternoon by the Hawaii County Department of Water Supply, the department said the restriction remains in effect and that North Kona residents and customers must continue to restrict their use of water to health and safety purposes.
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