Two water main breaks Friday morning — one that forced Waipahu Intermediate School to close, the other near Manoa Marketplace — underscore the vulnerability of Oahu’s aging water pipes and system. In fact, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply cites continuous repairs as factors in its proposed 8% to 10% rate increases over the next five years.

Also factored into the rate hikes are costs for exploratory wells, due to the Navy’s Red Hill fuel-water contamination. But those expenses should not be borne by Oahu’s ratepayers; instead those bills should go directly to the Navy to pay.