Ever since the Red Hill water contamination crisis upset Oahu’s delicate water supply-demand balance, we’ve all had to make adjustments in our lives. In response to the Board of Water Supply’s (BWS) alert calling for a 10% water use reduction, we’ve had to learn to take shorter showers, be more vigilant about checking leaking toilets and dripping faucets, and to be OK with lawns that aren’t perfectly green.

The BWS is doing its part to avert a water shortage by taking a number of actions. Although the BWS’s access to information on Red Hill has been limited, we have moved forward with activating our emergency plans.

However, that’s just part of the solution. We also need everyone on Oahu to do their part to conserve water to avoid a more severe situation, especially as we head into the hot, dry summer months when water use typically increases.

The BWS has rerouted water from other water sources to maintain a steady supply to meet current demand in Honolulu’s urban core, extending from Halawa to Hawaii Kai. The calculated water-rerouting engineering decisions have allowed the BWS to avert a water shortage for Oahu as long as we continue to conserve when we use water.

We are taking other actions as well. Water pumps that were taken out of service for scheduled maintenance prior to the Red Hill crisis are now on an accelerated repair schedule to be put back into service as quickly as possible. We’ve also begun to explore sites for possible new wells to replace the supply capacity of the three wells that we currently have shut off as a precaution, a process that can take five to seven years.

But the community’s commitment to conservation is still vitally important, especially with a hot summer fast approaching. If there was ever a time to demonstrate our resilience as a community, it is now. This is a kakou moment for all of us who call Oahu our home.

Since the Red Hill fuel leaks and water contamination first came to light last November, the BWS has met with dozens of organizations, businesses, visitor industry groups and government agencies to provide accurate, timely updates on the water supply and the potential impacts to each of these groups. Many are taking steps to limit their water use and have agreed to help with educating others about conservation. The broad base of support and the willingness of everyone to do their part have been very positive.

The BWS’s water alert is central to our community updates. The BWS wants to encourage water conservation on a voluntary basis to avoid mandatory conservation measures on water use.

No one, including the BWS, wants mandatory conservation, but, if necessary, these would not be unilateral decisions. With approval from the BWS’s board of directors and extensive public input, we would decide as a community if we need these measures. If we all do our part to conserve water now, we can preempt the need for these difficult decisions and avoid the types of restrictions we are reading about in California, Arizona and Nevada.

From the conversations we have had with the community, I am continually inspired by the strong sense of kuleana and lokahi. People understand their responsibility and want to work together to conserve water, our precious wai.

With everyone doing their part, I’m confident we will get through this together. Ola i ka wai!

Ernest Lau is manager and chief engineer of the Board of Water Supply.