The Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) uses social media as @BWSHonolulu as a means of communicating information and messages about BWS programs and events to interested parties through their preferred channels. BWS welcomes your comments, however, please note these are moderated social media networks, not public forums.

If you need an official source of information about BWS and its initiatives, please visit https://www.boardofwatersupply.com or contact the BWS Communications Office at (808) 748-5041 or contactus@hbws.org.

BWS welcomes thoughtful, helpful, and engaging conversation, in accordance with its social media policy. BWS respectfully reminds commenters that social media channels are open to the public and asks all commenters to be courteous and civil toward one another. Conversation and comments that are disruptive to the goals of BWS and fellow followers will be removed. BWS may remove comments or conversation, or block followers at any time. The BWS will use a social media channel’s filters, if available, which also may remove comments, if those comments are deemed inappropriate.

Users of these social media channels should expect to see posts discussing such topics, including the following:

  • Announcements about upcoming BWS and/or City and County of Honolulu community events, workshops or programs;
  • Water service news and updates for BWS customers;
  • General water conservation tips and information;
  • Live coverage of BWS activities; and
  • Alerts pertaining to service issues or other emergencies related to Honolulu’s municipal water system.

BWS social media accounts are managed through by BWS Communications Office staff. BWS accounts are generally monitored during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. BWS will attempt to respond to comments and messages in a timely manner.

Any comment posted by members of the public on a BWS social media page is the opinion of the poster only. Publication of a comment does not imply endorsement by the BWS, nor do such comments necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the BWS.

Standards of Conduct

As a government agency, BWS must abide by certain standards of conduct to serve its constituents in a civil and unbiased manner. Comments made by the public to BWS social media pages will be reviewed, and while comments will not be edited by the BWS communications staff, we reserve the right to hide/remove comments that may include, but are not limited to:

  • Copyrighted material (if posted without the copyright holder’s consent);
  • Defamation (libel/slander);
  • Discrimination;
  • Fighting words;
  • Fraud;
  • Incitement to imminent lawless action;
  • Obscenity;
  • Pornography;
  • Solicitations to commit, or speech integral to, criminal conduct or conduct in violation of any federal, state or local law; or
  • Threatening language.

The BWS communications staff may take steps to have a comment removed if it falls within one of the above categories. In addition, BWS will activate a social media channel’s filters, if available, which also may remove comments, if those comments are deemed inappropriate.

BWS may take steps to remove posts that advertise a particular business, product or personal interest; are spam messaging; are comments by “social bots” (content posted by automatic software programs, or “bots”), or are off-topic or irrelevant to the content posted by BWS staff, as necessary.

BWS is active on several social media channels, which are owned and operated by entities with their own policies and standards concerning what may and may not be posted, as well as the actions that it may take regarding unauthorized posts. Please be sure to review their community standards, which are available through the following links:

Following Back

BWS appreciates and recognizes those in the community who choose to follow @BWSHonolulu on social media. As a semi-autonomous government entity, BWS will follow and follow-back:

  • Municipalities of the State of Hawaii, including individual departments and divisions of local municipal government;
  • Related government agencies and non-profits;
  • Water and environmental conservation-minded profiles;
  • Local and national public utility organizations;
  • Local and national media outlets; and
  • Individuals who follow @BWSHonolulu.

BWS does not initiate the following of for-profit businesses on social media, nor does BWS endorse any referenced individuals, businesses, products or organizations found on its social media pages.

Water Emergencies

In the event of a water emergency or need for immediate assistance, please call us at (808) 748-5000, ext. 1, and an operator will assist you. Otherwise, please visit https://www.boardofwatersupply.com; follow @BWSHonolulu on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter; check for neighborhood updates on Nextdoor, or download the HNL.Info app for the latest updates.

HNL.Info is a free service provided by the City and County of Honolulu for its agencies to share timely messages with the community via email, SMS and/or push notification. BWS uses HNL.Info to distribute emergency updates and traffic advisories pertaining to water-related emergencies such as water main breaks and water conservation notices. Register online or download the free app from the App Store or Google Play.

This social media policy may be revised at any time.

For more information about @BWSHonolulu on social media, please contact the BWS Communications Office at (808) 748-5041 or contactus@hbws.org.

Revised: 10/15/2021