Question: Will building an ADU affect my water pressure?

Answer: It shouldn’t, because building permits to construct accessory dwelling units are supposed to be approved only in Oahu neighborhoods that already have adequate infrastructure to support the additional strain on public resources. A lot depends on the government agencies involved maintaining that high standard for permit approval.

Kokua Line has received variations of this question from multiple readers wondering about water usage split between an existing primary dwelling and a new, smaller, rental unit.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer, because water capacity varies from location to location and the permit process depends on the specifics of each site. What is uniform, though, is the requirement that a proposed ADU site meet certain infrastructure requirements before a construction permit is granted, according to the city Department of Planning and Permitting.

The department has created an ADU public facilities pre-check form to guide prospective ADU owners or contractors through a detailed approval process that confirms that the parcel meets requirements for zoning, size/dimension; wastewater disposal; water; fire safety; and traffic. “No building permit for ADUs shall be issued unless there is adequate infrastructure to support it,” according to the department.

“To assure the adequacy of the existing infrastructure, prospective applicants will need to receive confirmation from all appropriate agencies (the Department of Planning and Permitting’s Customer Service Division; Wastewater Branch; and Traffic Review Branch; state Department of Health; Board of Water Supply; and Honolulu Fire Department) affirming the capacity of needed infrastructure.”

The Board of Water Supply evaluates the ability of the existing water system to accommodate each specific development request. Its major concern is ensuring the property meets a level of water pressure and fire protection as required by the board’s water system standards and rules and regulations, according to the BWS website.

For specific questions regarding a building permit for your property, call the BWS Service Engineering Section at 748-5460.

You can download the city’s quick guide to building an accessory dwelling unit, which includes the pre-permit checklist, at 808ne.ws/1M3A1me.

Q: How quickly is the city supposed to respond once someone reports a pothole?

A: City crews regularly patch potholes within 48 hours of the road hazards being reported, according to the Mayor’s Office. So far this year the city has filled 32,976 potholes, providing a temporary fix until more substantial repairs are made, according to the city’s quarterly road-repaving progress report, which was issued last week. In 2014 the city filled 39,951 potholes.

Meanwhile the city has repaved about 202 lane miles of roadway so far this year, according to the progress report. You can see a full list of the city’s repaving projects at 808ne.ws/1M22xhR.

Auwe

Shame on you, Mr. Owner of a Little Black Dog! Your dog just finished doing his business on our condo’s front lawn on Kuilei Street as we drove into our condo around noon Oct. 11. As we we waited for our security parking gate to open, you stood there pretending to be texting on your cellphone, hoping we would leave. We purposely waited because we knew you had no intention of picking up your dog’s poop! My wife even came out of our car with a plastic package asking if you needed a bag, but you refused! What is the matter with you!? Owning a dog has responsibilities, and one of them is to be considerate of other people and their property by picking up after your dog! My wife picked up after you so that no one in our building would suffer the indignity of stepping on your dog’s poop! Shame on you!

Mahalo

A great big mahalo to the Better Business Bureau of Hawaii and all their partners and volunteers for the free shredding event Saturday. I took my documents to the event at McKinley High School, and the whole process was efficient and professional. Thank you for providing this valuable service! — Feeling secure

Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.