Question: Why is the Board of Water Supply going around my neighborhood in Aiea — and in front of my property — spraying with bright blue paint "no BWS" and all these arrows, about 6 inches high? Across the street they wrote the address, but not the name of the street, on the road and have arrows on the neighbor’s rock wall pointing to, I guess, where the meter is. It looks like graffiti and will encourage kids to spray. It’s so unsightly. Where can I call to complain?
Answer: Most people likely don’t know about the state’s "call before you dig" law.
The Board of Water Supply says it’s that law, Chapter 269E of the Hawaii Revised Statutes — "One Call Center; Advance Warning to Excavators" — that requires it to mark roads with paint if it plans to do any work in the area.
The law "requires a utility or contractor to notify the Hawaii One Call Center of any planned or emergency road excavation, so the center can alert utilities known to have underground conduits in the area to mark their locations with the specific color assigned to each one," explained BWS spokes.woman Tracy Burgo. "This prevents damage to underground facilities, service interruptions and injury to the contractor."
The color assigned to BWS is blue.
A "No BWS" marking shows the agency responded to a One Call Center request and determined no waterlines are in the area, she said. Blue arrows generally indicate the locations of various water meters that are difficult to find because they are buried or overgrown by vegetation.
"The BWS makes every effort to avoid marking private property and regrets any concern caused by these marks," Burgo said. "However, the blue markings are necessary so our staff can locate a meter that needs to be read or may require maintenance during a road construction project."
She said the blue paint used by the BWS is solvent-based and will fade over time, or may be eliminated during excavation.
"Since many road construction jobs are ongoing for multiple months or years, the blue paint markings must remain visible during this time,".Burgo said. "If the paint begins to fade, the BWS is required to refresh the markings."
Anyone with concerns about these markings can call the BWS at 748-5041 or email ContactUs@hbws.org.
One Call Center
Under a bill signed into law by then-Gov. Linda Lingle in 2004, the Public Utilities Commission was required to set up a One Call Center by 2006.
The center is similar to others operating throughout the United States and requires mandatory participation by both excavators (contractors) and public utility companies. By calling the center, excavators are able to find out where underground lines for electricity, gas, telecommunica.tions, cable, water and sewers are located.
See callbeforeyoudig.org for more information.
We contacted the center to find out what the different color assignments are for each utility:
Red is for electric lines; yellow, gas; orange, TV, cable and other telecommunications; blue, water; green, sewer; and rarely used purple, for "reclaimed water," such as old irrigation lines.
Mahalo
To a man named JR. I was standing at the corner of King Street and Ward Avenue last month when I lost my balance and fell, cutting both hands badly. JR, who was standing nearby, not only helped me up; he also brought out his first aid kit, cleaned my wounds and bandaged them. There are still good people in this world, and JR is one of them! — Gordon Chun, 90-Year-Old Senior
Mahalo
To the wonderful person who found my purse in the viewing stands at Ala Moana Center’s Centerstage. This person searched the area for the owner using the driver’s license photo. Unable to locate me, the person took the purse to the customer service center with money and cards intact.
— D. Teutsch
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
