NEWS & UPDATES

Severe Weather Updates

Oʻahu Residents Reminded to Limit Household Water Use to Essential Needs Only

August 17, 2026 – The Board of Water Supply (BWS) is experiencing low to no water pressure in the upper areas of the Metropolitan Honolulu water system due to the prolonged power issues that O’ahu is experiencing. This includes the ridges from Alewa Heights running east to and including Kalama Valley. If you live on the upper mountain ridges of the Ko’olau Mountains in metro Honolulu, you may experience low to no water pressure which will affect your water service. The BWS is working with HECO and other city agencies to address this issue. If you are in an area not in metro Honolulu and are experiencing low to no water pressure, please call us at (808) 748-5041 to report. We do not have an estimate at this time when full water service will be restored as it is dependent on power service being restored as well.

The BWS is working to set up alternate water supply sources. This list will be provided after 4 pm today to allow the BWS crew to get the locations ready for use by the residents.

Residents that have water service should continue to limit water use until BWS lifts the request for water conservation.

Storm damage and power outages, even intermittent, can impact water service across the island. These impacts can hinder BWS’s ability to pump water from wells and other water sources throughout the water system. BWS has generators positioned around the island to help prevent water outages as much as possible. If water cannot be pumped to a reservoir tank, the water remaining in the tank will be all that is available until electrical power is restored or made available through other means. Water conservation is needed during significant storm events and electrical outages until storm warnings have officially been canceled, electric power is restored and water levels in reservoir tanks have returned to normal.

Please check our website at boardofwatersupply.com for updated information. Residents should stay tuned to news reports and sign up to receive email, text message or push notification alerts from BWS and other emergency response agencies through the City and County of Honolulu’s HNLAlert service. Sign up at hnlalert.gov.

Oʻahu Residents Reminded to Limit Household Water Use to Essential Needs Only

August 16, 2026 – Due to storm damage and power outages around the island, the Board of Water Supply (BWS) is reminding all residents to limit their household water use to essential needs only.

Please continue to limit water use until BWS lifts the request for water conservation.

Be Prepared – Store Water for Emergency Use & Reduce Your Water Use Now

August 15, 2026 – BWS is reminding Oʻahu residents to be prepared for severe weather by storing water for emergency use and by reducing their water use before the storm arrives. Residents should also continue to conserve water during and after a storm because intermittent power outages and storm damage can impact water service across the island. It can take time restore water service and for the water system to recover.

• Store emergency water for your family, including pets, to last at least 14 days. One gallon per day, per person, for drinking and sanitation.

• Start to limit your household water use to essential purposes only – drinking, cooking, and hygiene – before the storm arrives. Island-wide water conservation before, during, and after a storm will help to keep reservoirs as full as possible. Keep your water use to a minimum until otherwise notified.

Storm Preparedness Graphics

Storm Preparedness Reels – Gen Z Speak

Be Prepared – Sign up for HNL Alerts

Get more information, more quickly during an emergency by signing up for HNL Alert, the City and County of Honolulu’s mass notification system for O’ahu’s residents and and visitors. With HNL Alert, subscribers can choose the types events to be alerted about and how they wish to be notified. Subscribers can even enter one or more addresses to get targeted alerts about events impacting specific areas of concern, including home and workplaces.

The City uses HNL Alert in addition to warning systems that don’t require sign up, such as wireless alerts that sound on your mobile device, sirens, and alerts that interrupt radio and TV. While some warning systems are intended for urgent emergency situations, HNL Alert can keep you informed about developing weather conditions and other situations affecting City services that our communities rely on. HNL Alert messages can contain more details, include images and links to real-time information, and don’t disappear quickly from subscribers' devices so they have more time to read and understand the information or share it with others.

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Updated: 08/17/2026

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