BUSINESS BRIEFS
Two pipelines off Kona damaged
Advertiser Staff and News Services
The Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai'i Authority said it recently discovered damage to two pipelines used to draw deep-sea water from a depth of 2,000 feet off the Kona Coast, but added that the supply of water was unaffected.
Ron Baird, chief executive officer for NELHA, said the damage was likely a result of last October's earthquakes. Baird said one pipeline was severed, while another had a hole that has since been patched.
The damage isn't affecting the availability of water for aquaculture operators that use water from the 2,000-foot pipelines. Water bottling companies, which use water from a separate 3,000-foot pipeline, also are unaffected, Baird said.
NELHA hopes to have the pipelines repaired by the end of summer.
SAFEWAY HAS BIG GIFT FOR FOODBANK
Safeway Stores said it raised $107,475 for the Hawaii Foodbank "Check out Hunger" program.
Safeway, the first retailer to go over the $100,000 mark in the Foodbank's 14-year-old program, said it will present the local charitable organization with a check Tuesday at the Pali Safeway.
MORE PORTLAND CEMENT SHIPPED
Hawai'i's shipments of finished portland cement, a critical component of concrete used in construction, rose 8.2 percent in December compared to the year before, according to Bloomberg News.
There were 37,649 metric tons shipped during the month, Bloomberg reported, citing U.S. Geological Survey numbers.
