Kokua Line: What’s wrong with Dillingham Fountain?

Question: The Dillingham Fountain at Kapiolani Park is off during the day but comes to life at 6 p.m. Is there a problem with the timer switch? Surely it should be turned on at 6 a.m., not 6 p.m.?

Answer: No, this isn’t a malfunction. Honolulu County’s Department of Parks and Recreation has adjusted this fountain and others to save water, as the Board of Water Supply has asked all Oahu customers to do amid the Red Hill water crisis.

“We have significantly curtailed the hours of operation for both the Dillingham Fountain and Thomas Square fountains to only operate from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (this represents a 75% reduction in runtime). We need to run the fountains for a few hours each night to keep them in proper mechanical order, and decided to do this at night when the rate of evaporation is minimized. Also, these fountains have more of an allure at night with their dazzling lights,” DPR spokesman Nathan Serota said in an email.

The department plans to release details this week about how it is reducing water usage in specific parks throughout its system. Watering less overall, watering during twilight hours and restricting hours of operation for decorative fountains are part of the effort.

Other readers have asked about inoperable fountains not in public parks. The rocky waterfall fountain on which the sculpture “Ka Mea Ku‘i ‘Upena” rests in the traffic island at South King Street, South Street and Kapiolani Boulevard was turned off April 20 to conserve water, as was the fountain in front of Honolulu Hale, according to the municipal Department of Facility Maintenance. The waterfall fountain is commonly known as the Hawaiian Net Mender. DFM also announced last month that it was watering the civic center grounds less frequently, as well as the landscaped areas at the nearby Joint Traffic Management Center.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply has asked all Oahu customers to voluntarily reduce water usage by 10% to help cope with the Red Hill crisis, which forced BWS to stop pumping a total of about 20 million gallons of water a day from the Halawa shaft and Aiea and Halawa wells. The BWS shut down those water sources to ensure that the Navy’s underground fuel-storage system at Red Hill, which contaminated military drinking water, did not contaminate the municipal water supply. The Halawa shaft was the source of about 20% of urban Honolulu’s water. It’s not clear whether the Halawa shaft and Aiea and Halawa wells will ever be used again.

Q: Regarding the farm grants, does the money have to go toward payroll?

A: No, although that is an appropriate use. Priorities for funding include supplies and equipment; technical assistance, consultants, contractors and certifications; and labor. Buying new equipment or technology, paying wages or purchasing seed, sod or livestock feed are all appropriate uses, according to the Oahu Agriculture Grants website, oahuaggrants.org. Grant money cannot be used for improvements to permanent infrastructure, it says.

Q: I mailed my federal income tax in March and haven’t gotten my refund. How can I check on it?

A: Try the “Get Refund Status” tool on the Internal Revenue Service’s website, irs.gov. The direct link is https://808ne.ws/gas. You’ll need to enter your Social Security number, filing status and the amount of your refund. Taxpayers who filed electronically can use the tool 24 hours after e-filing, but people who mailed a hard-copy return are asked to wait four weeks before checking.

Mahalo

I would like to thank the kind and diligent employee of the CVS Minute Clinic on Ward Avenue who took the time to call my elderly sister to inform her of a positive COVID-19 result. Many older people have a difficult time navigating websites to get results. She called first thing on a Sunday morning. Thanks to her, my sister has recovered and is doing well. — Patricia

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.