Volunteer plumbers journey to Volcano Village to put in catchment diverters at 30 properties : Big Island Now

Ten groups of licensed plumbers and apprentices volunteered their time and experience on Saturday to put in water catchment diverters for 30 households in Volcano Village which have been impacted by ongoing ash and tephra fallout from Kīlauea.

The diverters enable owners to quickly redirect rainwater away from their storage tanks when volcanic ash and tephra are current on rooftops, serving to forestall contaminated runoff from coming into family water provides.

“When challenges arise, our communities have always found ways to care for one another,” stated Vibrant Hawaiʻi Chief Executive Officer Janice Ikeda in a press launch.

She added that the undertaking “is a reminder that resilience is built through relationships and people willing to share their time, knowledge and expertise in service to their community.”

Many Volcano residents depend on rainwater catchment methods as their main supply of water.

Ash and tephra can accumulate on rooftops during times of volcanic exercise, similar to lava fountaining episodes like people who started Dec. 23, 2024, inside Halemaʻumaʻu Crater within the Kīlauea caldera. There have been 49 episodes of this ongoing eruption without end, and episode 50 forecast to fountain between June 25 and 27.

Vibrant Hawaiʻi partnered with Plumbers and Fitters UA Local 675, International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, native plumbing contractors and Hawaiʻi Community Foundation for the diverter installations.

Plumbers and Fitters UA Local 675 Business Manager and Financial Secretary-Treasurer Sam Barrett Jr. stated the group was very happy to help efforts enhancing security, sustainability and resiliency of individuals depending on rainwater catchment for potable and non-potable use in areas across the Big Island, particularly these methods notably prone to volcanic materials contamination.

The diverter installations had been free to collaborating households due to collective efforts by the unions, Dorvin Leis Mechanical Co., Commercial Plumbing, Furuta Plumbing and HPM Building Supply.