B08_Att_(6)_HAER_HAVO_Water_Collection_System_HI-76__Final_report.pdf

HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK WATER COLLECTION SYSTEM

HAER HI-76

Location: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Volcano vicinity, Hawaii County, HI

Present Owner: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Present Use: Water collection system, some components of which are no longer in use

Significance: The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Water Collection System is significant as an example of a system designed to provide water in an area where wells are not commonly used and represents changes in water collection technology in the twentieth century. In addition, the establishment of the water collection system supported the development of the park.

Historian(s): Justine Christianson, HAER Historian, 2008

Project Information: The Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) is a long-range program that documents and interprets historically significant engineering sites and structures throughout the United States. HAER is part of Heritage Documentation Programs (Richard O’Connor, Manager), a division of the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. Laura C. Schuster, Chief, Cultural Resources Division, at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park facilitated the project. Todd Croteau, HAER, served as project leader, architect and photographer. Justine Christianson, HAER, produced the report.

HAER No. HI-76

Part I. Historical Information

A. Physical History:

This report focuses on the water collection system that developed on the former Volcano House grounds in the park’s headquarters area. Originally, the park’s water collection system was located in the “Utility Area” near the park employee residences. The Volcano House hotel had a separate system to support its facilities.

1. Dates of Construction:

The old rain shed, Building No. 43, was built in 1924 by the Volcano House hotel.1

Six redwood tanks (Tank Nos. 7-12) had been erected next to the old rain shed by October 1947.2

Wood water tanks of various sizes were relocated from “Tank Hill” (located near the former Volcano House hotel) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp to the vicinity of the old rain shed from 1949 to 1950.3

Three 500,000 gallon steel tanks and one 23,500 steel filter tank were in place by November 1957. An additional 500,000 gallon tank was erected the following year.4

A pump house containing the electric water pump, chlorination unit, and electric control system was constructed in 1957 with a sand trap located between it and the nearby filter tank.5

The new rain shed (Building No. 241) and trestles were completed in November 1957.6

Another slow sand filter tank was added sometime after 1980, as well as a clear well.7

1 Information from Form 16-54522-2 on Building 43, prepared by I.J. Castro, Assistant Superintendent, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Archives (hereafter referred to as HAVO Archives).

2 Superintendent Monthly Report, October 1947, p. 1. All the superintendent reports are available in the HAVO Archives.

3 Superintendent Monthly Reports, September 1949, p. 3; October 1949, p. 2; January 1950, p. 3; and February 1950, p. 3.

4 Superintendent Monthly Reports, November 1957, p. 1; November 1958, p. 9; Memorandum from Park Engineer to Superintendent, Subject: Engineering Report for November 1958, December 3, 1958, p. 4 in November 1958 Monthly Report.

5 Superintendent Monthly Report, November 1957, p. 13.

6 Superintendent Monthly Report, November 1957, p. 12.

7 San Juan Construction, Inc., As Constructed Drawings, Rehabilitate Park Water System, Headquarters Area, “Tank Farm and Rainsheds,” June 1993, Sheet 4 of 35.

The larger ground catchment (128,878 square feet in size) dates to the early 1970s, while the smaller one (51,000 square feet in size) dates to ca. 1993.8

Two 750,000 gallon were erected ca. 1993 to replace eight of the original redwood tanks. A fifth steel tank with a 500,000 gallon capacity was also built

ca. 1993.9

2. Architect/Engineer:

The engineers of the National Park Service’s (NPS) Western Office’s Division of Design and Construction and the Office of the Chief Engineer located in San Francisco, California designed the 1930s era system with input from park personnel. The NPS Regional Office provided guidance for the design of the 1950s era system.

3. Builder/Contractor/Supplier:

The Volcano House hotel concessioner built the old rain shed.10

Terminal Steel Company, Ltd. of Honolulu won the contract to build four steel tanks, including three 500,000 gallon and one 23,500 gallon.11 The pipes and fittings for the tanks were ordered through the General Services Administration from the Grinnell Company.12 Pittsburg-Des Moines Steel Company of Santa Clara, California won the contract to build the fourth 500,000 gallon steel tank.13

H. Sonomura of Hilo, Hawaii built the new rain shed and trestle. The pipe work was subcontracted to P.E. Pell Company of Honolulu.14

San Juan Construction, Inc. of Aiea, Hawaii erected the two 750,000 gallon capacity tanks and the last 500,000 gallon capacity tank. They also constructed the smaller ground catchment.

4. Original Plans:

Plans from 1937 and 1938 show the Volcano House hotel system, consisting of a rain shed (now Building No. 43) and an assortment of various sized water tanks located behind the hotel. The park’s system consisted of a 54,000 gallon underground concrete reservoir and pump house in the “Utility Area” of the park with tanks located at nearly all the residences and buildings. A 4,500 gallon high

8 San Juan Construction Inc., “Site Plan,” June 1993, Sheets 4, 5 and 11 of 35.

9 San Juan Construction, Inc., “Tank Farm and Rainsheds,” June 1993, Sheet 11 of 35.

10 Form 16-54522-2, Building 43.

11 Superintendent Monthly Reports, February 1957, p. 10; March 1957, p. 2.

12 Superintendent Monthly Report, May 1957, p. 12.

13 Superintendent Monthly Reports, May 1958, p. 11; June 1958, p. 9.

14 Superintendent Monthly Reports, February 1957, p. 10; March 1957, pp. 2, 12; April 1957, p. 10. Sonomura’s bid was totaled $43,809.

tank was located among the park residences. The park’s Fire House is now located adjacent to the reservoir, which remains in use.15

Plans dating to 1953 show the removal and consolidation of the tanks formerly used by the Volcano House hotel. A battery of fourteen tanks was located behind the rain shed, with plans to add six more. Fourteen more tanks of various sizes were located under the rain shed, and another was outside the rain shed at its southern corner. In addition, another collection system was still maintained at the Utility Area, consisting of a reservoir and pump house with tanks scattered at various locations. The high tank had been removed.16

By 1958, the water collection system had been centralized at the park’s headquarters area on the site of the former Volcano House hotel system. A new rain shed supplemented the old one. Four 500,000 gallon tanks augmented the fourteen wood tanks to the rear of the old rain shed. A filter tank connected to a pump house and a chlorinator with a sand trap between them was located to the north of the tanks and rain sheds.17

5. Alterations and Additions:

The old rain shed has undergone the greatest number of alterations. After the installation of redwood tanks under the rain shed in 1947, the roof had to be raised. Two years later, the rain shed was further altered with a 160’ extension project from 1949 to 1950. The windward end of the rain shed was completely clad in 1955. That same year, a September cyclone damaged the building, necessitating additional repairs. In 1958, the removal of the redwood tanks housed in the rain shed caused additional alterations to be made to the roof, including the construction of new supports. A storm in January 1959 caused some structural damage by collapsing the roof and walls. This event required further alteration to the building.18

15 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Hawaii National Park Headquarters Area, “Map Showing Existing & Proposed Water Lines to Accompany Report by W.E. Robertson, Assoc. Eng.,” Office of the Chief Engineer, San Francisco, CA, October 1937; U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Branch of Engineering, Prepared by Regional Office, “Prop. Location Plan for Water System Improvement, Headquarters Area, Hawaii National Park,” ca. 1938, Sheet 1 of 3.

16 “Water Collection & Sewer System,” and “Water Distribution, Kilauea Headquarters,” March 1953, Sheets 1 and 2 of 2.

17 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Engineering Branch, Prepared by WODC, “Water Distribution System, Kilauea Headquarters, Hawaii National Park,” As Constructed Drawing, January 1958, Sheet 1 of 4.

18 Superintendent Monthly Reports, May 1947, p. 3; June 1947, p. 3; November 1947, photograph caption;

November 1949, p. 3; January 1950, p. 3; February 1950, p. 3; March 1950, p. 3; April 1950, p. 4; May 1950, p. 4;

July 1950, p. 4; August 1955, p. 4; July 1958, p. 10; January 1959, pp. 10-12; Memorandum from Supervisor, Construction and Maintenance to Park Engineer, Subject: Monthly Report for the Month of September 1955, October 3, 1955, in September 1955 Monthly Report.

The redwood water storage tanks were rebuilt beginning in 1957 after the bases were found to be failing.19

B. Historical Context:

The lack of wells and running streams within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park necessitated the construction of a water collection system to supply the residences of the park’s employees, as well as the buildings and structures used for visitor services and park administration.20 Originally, the park relied solely upon a roof catchment system at each building in which rain water drained directly from the building’s roof into a redwood tank. It soon became apparent that a larger storage system was necessary to supplement the twenty-three redwood tanks with a total capacity of 74,000 gallons in place in the early 1930s so ample water would be available during periods of drought and to support the park’s growth. 21 The first phase of development of the park’s collection system occurred in the early 1930s, with the construction of an underground concrete reservoir and pump house, a high tank, and the requisite pipelines. The second major phase of construction occurred in the 1950s, as the center of the collection system shifted from the Utility Area to the former Volcano House hotel’s system. The work included expansion of the old rain shed, relocation of existing storage tanks and erection of new 500,000 gallon steel tanks, and construction of a new rain shed, as well as the completion of a water main distribution project. Additions have been made to the system, including the removal and replacement of eight of the redwood tanks with two 750,000 gallon steel tanks, addition of another 500,000 gallon steel tank and filter tank, and construction of two catchments and a clear well. The bulk of this work took place around 1993.

It is unknown what constituted the original catchment system servicing the Volcano House hotel or when it was constructed. By 1924, a rain shed (now known as the old rain shed or Building No. 43) was in place, built by the Volcano House hotel concessioner at a cost of $10,000. The exterior walls and roof were clad in galvanized iron, and the floor was dirt.22 The use of galvanized iron for the roof was undoubtedly a deliberate choice since it was considered the ideal material for collecting the maximum amount of water. A discussion of the design of the Thurston Lava Tube comfort station in 1933 reveals the reason for the preference for metal roofing in the park. E.P. Leavitt, Superintendent, wrote to Thomas C. Vint of the National Park Service’s Branch of Plans and Design in favor of outfitting the

19 Superintendent Monthly Report, March 1957, p. 2; Frances C. Jackson, An Administrative History of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Haleakala National Park (Honolulu, HI, 1972), pp. 161.

20 Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was originally known as Hawaii National Park after its 1916 establishment. At the time of its creation, it encompassed lands on both the Island of Hawaii as well as on Maui. Congress authorized the division of Hawaii National Park into two parks in 1961, with the park section on Hawaii becoming Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and that on Maui becoming Haleakala National Park. In this report, the park will simply be referred to by its current name: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

21 Jackson, pp. 154-155.

22 Form 16-54522-2, Building 43. A search of the 1924 Superintendent Monthly Reports did not reveal any information about its construction, probably because it was built by a concessioner and not the park.

proposed comfort station with a galvanized iron roof, arguing it “collects and saves almost every drop of rain that falls.” This was a desirable feature in an area where “the only water supply is that gathered from rain on roofs.” Wood shake or shingle roofs, Leavitt noted, did “not have the power of condensation that metal has, and what little is condensed is absorbed by the wood.” The condensing power of galvanized iron meant that even on foggy and misty days, water could be collected from an iron roof. On the other hand, only heavy rains produced enough runoff for collection from a wood roof.23

The first phase of construction of a park wide collection system to augment the already existing practice of collecting water at individual structures occurred in the early 1930s. This building campaign was in response to a drought lasting from 1930 to 1931 that emphasized the need for a centralized storage reservoir from which water could be pumped and transported to various points in the park. With assistance from John B. Wosky, a landscape architect with the National Park Service’s Landscape Division in San Francisco, park personnel surveyed the headquarters area to determine the best location for a centralized system. They settled on a site east of the headquarters area that had a higher elevation than the surrounding area so it could support a gravity feed system. In addition, the chosen location was in a “rain belt producing more water than any other area near headquarters.” In order to utilize the site, the heavy undergrowth and timber stands would have to be cleared and an access road built.24

When H.B. Hommon, a Sanitary Engineer with the U.S. Public Health Service, was consulted about the proposed site, he voiced some reservations. First, he noted that the dense vegetation in the vicinity of the catchment system would produce a great deal of detritus that had the potential to periodically clog the system. In addition, the $6,000 fund for construction, of which the San Francisco Branch of Plans and Designs took 10 percent, would probably not be sufficient. Instead, Hommon believed it would be “more practicable to collect water from the roofs of the buildings already in place and to plan for additional roof surfaces when new buildings are constructed.” The collected water could be stored in a 20,000 gallon capacity underground reservoir, which would be covered. The reservoir would be divided into two sections that would operate independently since they would each be equipped with their own inlet pipes and drains. Next to the reservoir, a gasoline engine driven pump with a 100 gallon/minute capability and a pressure of 100 pounds per square inch (psi) would be connected to suction lines extending to each half of the reservoir.

The pump would draw water from the reservoir to an elevated steel tank, which would provide “ample pressure” for fire protection as well as for supplying individual

23 Letter from E.P. Leavitt, Superintendent to Thos. C. Vint, Chief, Branch of Plans & Designs, National Park Service, San Francisco, CA, August 23, 1933, in Folder 618, Box 1178, Record Group 79, National Park Service (hereafter cited as RG79), in National Archives and Records Administration, College Park (hereafter referred to as NARA-College Park).

24 “Report on Water Supply System for Hawaii National Park, Hawaii,” by Sanitary Engineer H.B. Hommon, U.S.

Public Health Service, May 14, 1932, p. 1, in File No. 660-05, Box 1180, RG 79, NARA-College Park.

water tanks during periods of drought. The twelve storage tanks already in place at the headquarters area, Hommon argued, were in good condition with “no odor or color resulting from storing water” in them. Hommon’s proposal included running a 3” line from the new administration building to Residence 3 and then a 4” line to a collecting tank in the Utility Area. In addition to the 3” and 4” main lines, 2” branch lines would be installed connecting the main line with the overflow of the storage tanks. Hommon estimated the system would cost $5,170.25

In response to Hommon’s suggestions, the park made some modifications to the original plans. One modification was using gravity lines to drain the reservoir.

Superintendent Leavitt also suggested making the reservoir larger with a 60,000 gallon capacity rather than the proposed 20,000 gallon size.26 A February 1933 press release by Superintendent E.P. Leavitt described the planned collection system.

A reinforced concrete water tank 20 by 40 feet in size, to hold 60,000 gallons, is under construction in the park....It will serve as a collection basin for the surplus water gathered from the roofs of the buildings in the park during the rainy season, which will be distributed as needed during the seasons of light rainfall. The plans call for a pipe line to be connected at the top of each wooden tank serving each building, which will convey the surplus water to the concrete tank. The supply pipes will be used as a distributing system by pumping the water back through them to the tanks where needed. A gasoline pump and pump house will be part of the system. There are no springs, wells or running streams in the park area, so all the water used must be gathered from roofs of buildings and stored.27

The park’s collection system was finally located at the “Utility Area,” a section of the park located to the northeast of Kilauea crater and east of the Volcano House. The Utility Area also contained the mess hall, bunk, nursery, machine shop, warehouse, and fire equipment shed. Construction of the system began in 1932 on the reservoir.

By January 1933, the excavation of the 20’ x 40’ concrete reservoir had been completed, so crews could begin installing the formwork and reinforcing steel. The County of Hawaii’s road department loaned the park its concrete mixer, and the park next poured the reservoir’s walls, floor and top in separate sections. The valves that drained the reservoir were enclosed in square boxes. Next, the park lay 2,950 linear feet of galvanized iron pipe, which connected the gutters of the Administration Building and Park Naturalist’s quarters (Building No. 2) to the reservoir, since these were the only buildings in the park without water storage tanks directly connected to them. The redwood tanks already in place at the headquarters area were also

25 Hommon, “Report on Water Supply System,” pp. 2-3.

26 Letter from Superintendent E.P. Leavitt to Sanitary Engineer H. B. Hommon, September 22, 1932 and letter from Superintendent E.P. Leavitt to Director, National Park Service, January 25, 1933, both in File No. 660-05, Box 1180, RG 79, NARA-College Park.

27 Memorandum for the Press by E.P. Leavitt, Superintendent, February 23, 1933, included in Superintendent Monthly Report, February 1933.

connected to the reservoir. The final phase of construction was the building of the pump house and installation of the pump in May 1933. Located next to the reservoir, the 10’ x 20’ pump house sat on a concrete pad and sheltered a 1933 American-Marsh two-stage turbine driven by a four cylinder, 6 hp gasoline engine.28 The pump delivered water to the 5,000 gallon high tank, constructed in 1933 and located behind Quarters No. 3 on a 14’ tall tower. This pump house (designated Building No. 159) was taken out of service in April 1959, and the building moved to a site near the junction of the Chain of Craters Road and the Kalapana Trail. The building was later converted for use as an animal feed storage and equipment building for the Protection Division. The reservoir is still in use, as is the pump, which is located in the firehouse.29

Despite the improvements, the park was still concerned about the lack of water storage facilities. The 5,000 gallon high tank had to be pumped full once a week. In addition, the total water storage capacity of 66,000 gallons could only last two months according to Superintendent Leavitt.30 To address the continuing issue of storage, Superintendent Edward G. Wingate sent a proposal detailing another construction campaign to the Director of the National Park Service (NPS) in February 1934. The proposal included a request for $6,000 to fund construction of another concrete reservoir next to the already existing one. According to Wingate, the addition was necessary because “the present system and plant are inadequate.” 31 When nothing came of the proposal, the park sent another detailing a “Water Supply System Addition” to the NPS director. Once again, the park requested funds (this time the amount was reduced to $4,700) to build an identical concrete reservoir. The proposal was justified on the grounds that the system as completed in June 1933 was “lacking only in storage capacity.” The reservoir was too small, resulting in a “serious fire hazard” during extended periods of dry weather. 32

Plans of the headquarters area dating to 1937 and 1938 depict the early water collection system and its proposed changes. The Volcano House Hotel Company had a collection of tanks with capacities ranging from 4,000 to 80,000 gallons scattered behind the hotel, as well as a rain shed and pump house to supply the hotel with

28 Jackson, p. 155; Superintendent Monthly Reports, December 1932, p. 5; January 1933; February 1933, p. 7;

March 1933, p. 6; April 1933, p. 5; May 1933, p. 3. Of the pipe laid, 1,700’ was comprised of 4” pipe, 450’ was comprised of 3” pipe, and 800’ was comprised of 2” pipe, according to the Superintendent Monthly Report, March 1933, p. 6.

29 Memorandum from Park Engineer to Superintendent, Subject: Maintenance Report for the Kilauea Section, March 1959, April 6, 1959, p. 3 in Superintendent Monthly Report, March 1959; Final Report, “Rehabilitation of Water System Kilauea Section Headquarters Area,” September 1, 1948, p. 6 in Folder 660-05, Box 785, RG 79, NARA-College Park.

30 Letter from E.P. Leavitt, Superintendent to Director, National Park Service, Washington, DC, July 15, 1933 in Folder 618, Box 1178, RG 79, NARA-College Park.

31 “Proposed Public Works Projects by Superintendent Edward G. Wingate,” submitted to the Director, Office of National Parks, Buildings, Reservations, Washington, DC, February 3, 1934 in Folder 618, Box No. 1178, RG 79, NARA-College Park.

32 Letter from Edward G. Wingate, Superintendent, to Director, National Park Service, Washington, DC, January 17, 1935 in Folder 618, Box 1178, RG 79, NARA-College Park.

water. The park’s water collection system consisted of tanks associated with individual park structures, ranging in size from 1,470 to 5,300 gallons, the reservoir, and high tank (indicated as having a 4,500 gallon capacity). Proposed improvements to the system included a reservoir addition, as well as a galvanized iron 6” main. The main would run west from the reservoir to the park headquarters and continue to the Volcano House hotel where it would form a loop around the hotel. Spurs would service buildings without individual tanks as well as proposed fire hydrants. The high tank, located to the southwest of the Utility Area closer to the Kilauea Crater rim was connected to the main distribution line by a 6” pipe, and there were plans to replace it with a 25,000 gallon tank. As more buildings were constructed in the area from 1937-41, the line was tapped into at additional points.33

The park’s plans for increasing the system’s capacity were not implemented. Despite the concerns of the park, the requested additional reservoir was not constructed. In 1938, a 10,000 gallon tank was erected next to the 5,000 gallon high tank using Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Additional storage was also provided from 1939-44 with the erection of four 5,000 gallon tanks behind the repair shop and two 10,000 gallon tanks next to the wood shed in the Utility Area that could drain into the reservoir.34

With no substantial improvements being made to the water collection system and increasing development within the park, it was not long before there were renewed concerns about storage capacities. These concerns were fueled by another period of protracted drought in the early 1940s. By 1943, there were only 180,000 gallons of water available for use but still no expansion had been approved. In September 1946, Superintendent Frank Oberhansley attempted to ameliorate the critical situation by tying the former system used by the Civilian Conservation Camp (CCC) with the park’s reservoir using 3,000’ of 2 ½” pipe he obtained as surplus from the Naval Air Station in Hilo. The CCC’s system, dating to ca. 1938, consisted of sixteen 10,000 gallon wood water tanks connected to a 2 ½” manifold suction line and pump. The water was delivered via a 2 ½” discharge line to a smaller grouping of tanks located above the camp. Total capacity at the camp was 40,000 gallons.35

Even more attention was focused on the water situation after the December 1946 collapse of a 400,000 gallon capacity wood storage tank owned by the Volcano House Hotel. The event spurred the park to inspect its own collection of wood tanks, leading to the discovery that half of the tanks were in danger of collapse “due to

33 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Hawaii National Park, Headquarters Area, “Map Showing Existing & Proposed Water Lines, To Accompany Report by W.E. Robertson, Assoc. Eng., Office of the Chief Engineer, San Francisco, CA,” October 1937; U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Branch of Engineering, Prepared by Regional Office, “Proposed Location Plan for Water System Improvement, Headquarters Area, Hawaii National Park,” 1938; Final Report, “Rehabilitation of Water System Kilauea Section Headquarters Area,” September 1, 1948, p. 6, in Folder 660-05, Box 785, RG 79, NARA-College Park.

34 Final Report, “Rehabilitation of Water System Kilauea Section Headquarters Area,” pp. 3-4.

35 Final Report, “Rehabilitation of Water System Kilauea Section Headquarters Area,” pp. 4-5; Jackson, pp. 156- 157.

decaying supports.” In addition, almost all of the tanks lacked a protective covering to keep rodents, birds and debris from entering them.36 Superintendent Oberhansley requested emergency funding from the NPS Region Four office to build concrete storage reservoirs as replacements to the numerous aging tanks then in use, stating that the reservoirs would “dispose of the entire mess of assorted unsightly tanks of ancient vintage now dotting the landscape adjacent to park headquarters.”37 The proposal generated discussion between the regional office and the park. O.A.

Tomlinson, the Regional Director, voiced concerns about building reservoirs, noting the head would not be “sufficient” and that they would be prone to earthquake damage. He recommended instead that the park purchase a new or salvaged tank to replace the collapsed one. Oberhansley pressed the point, stating that the Army and Navy had been building 500,000 gallon reinforced concrete tanks on the island since 1941. Furthermore, he argued, the reservoir would sit on a sand base, not bedrock as conventional design dictated. He concluded, “We cannot recommend too strongly against temporizing with wood tanks as such things have a vicious way of becoming more or less permanent. Wood tanks of this capacity are as obsolete as the horse and buggy.” Despite the park’s persuasive arguments, the Acting Director of the National Park Service, Hillory A. Tolson, firmly relayed to the Region Four office that no reservoir at the park would be funded due to questions about the estimate (deemed too low) and a lack of funding. Tolson also questioned the ethics of the federal government spending federal funds to repair a system owned and operated by a concessioner.38

The park assumed authority over the Volcano House hotel’s water system after the tank collapsed and lowered its water rates to 3 cents/gallon as a courtesy to the hotel.

With the takeover complete, the park moved its main collection system to the headquarters area.39 With the question of reservoir or tank construction definitively settled in favor of tanks, park personnel searched for surplus tanks to purchase to boost the park’s storage capacity. Superintendent Oberhansley reported to the NPS Regional Director that he thought he could obtain six to eight 50,000 gallon tanks from the Wartime Assets Administration (WAA) or Army-Navy surplus, to which Acting Director Hillory Tolson remarked in the margin of the memo: “Whole area littered with tanks!”40 The park’s expansion plans involved moving the concessioner’s tanks behind the rain shed so they would not be visible; installing a gravity feed system, and extending the rain shed to create additional storage space

36 Superintendent Monthly Report, December 1946, p. 3.

37 Memo from Frank Oberhansley, Superintendent, to Regional Director, Region Four, December 19, 1946, in File No. 660-05, Box 1180, RG 79, NARA-College Park. This quote also appears in Jackson, p. 157.

38 Memo from O.A. Tomlinson, Regional Director, to Superintendent, December 23, 1946; Memo from Oberhansley to Regional Director, Region Four, December 30, 1946; Memo from Hillory A. Tolson, Acting Director, to Regional Director, Region Four, January 16, 1947, all in File No. 660-05, Box 1180, RG 79, NARA-College Park.

39 Jackson states that the takeover of the Volcano House tanks resulted in capacities of 1,650,000 gallons at the shed, 360,000 in the utility area, and 200,000 in the CCC area, for a total of 2,120,000 gallons (Jackson, p. 160).

40 Memo from Frank Oberhansley, Superintendent, to Regional Director, Region Four, July 8, 1947, in File No. 660- 05, Box 1180, RG 79, NARA-College Park.

and surface area. The park estimated these alterations would result in an estimated 165 million gallons of storage capacity. 41

The park was able to obtain twelve 100,000 gallon surplus redwood tanks from the Wartime Assets Administration (WAA), reportedly from Fort Armstrong in Honolulu, in January 1947. They were purchased for $1,920 apiece under Public Law 478 using a $10,600 allocation. Originally, the park planned to place nine of the tanks under the concessioner’s rain shed. Of the remaining three, one would be erected at the former CCC camp, and two would be installed at the Utility Area next to the concrete reservoir. Park Superintendent Oberhansley was hopeful that the acquisition of these tanks would facilitate the removal of the “eye sores on tank hill.”42 Unfortunately, the tanks had been in storage for five years and had consequently sustained termite and borer bee damage as well as dry rot, so only eight of the twelve were usable. The park consequently changed its installation plans.43

By May 1947, two of the eight surplus tanks had been erected and fitted at the Utility Area. That same month, the park borrowed Army equipment to excavate a 40’ wide x 220’ long strip along the northwest side of the old rain shed where the remaining six surplus tanks were to be grouped in a battery.44 Throughout the summer and fall of 1947, work continued on erecting the redwood tanks, which sat on concrete foundations. Photographs depicting the construction show the area was first excavated and then graded. Circular wood forms were next laid out and a reinforced mesh was placed within the formwork. The concrete was poured into the form. A wood frame foundation on which the tank would sit was then constructed on the concrete pad. The wood staves forming the tank were then erected, and kept in place by bands tightened via air driven wrenches. The use of the wrench was found to save “approximately 8 ½ man days in erection of one tank.” The tanks were in place next to the rain shed by October 1947. One of the redwood tanks sits on a stone foundation; the monthly reports do not indicate the reason for this different foundation.45

41 Memo from Frank Oberhansley, Superintendent, to Regional Director, Region Four, August 19, 1947, in File No.

660-05, Box 1180, RG 79, NARA-College Park.

42 Memo from Frank Oberhansley, Superintendent, to Regional Director, Region Four, January 31, 1947, in File No. 660-05, Box 1180, RG 79, NARA-College Park; Jackson, p. 157; Superintendent Monthly Report, February 1947, p. 1.

43 Superintendent Monthly Reports, February 1947, p. 1; April 1947, p. 3; May 1947, pp. 3, 5; Monthly Report of Assistant to Superintendent and Acting Park Engineer B.F. Moomaw for March 1947 in Superintendent Monthly Report, March 1947; Jackson, p. 157-158.

44 Superintendent Monthly Report, May 1947, pp. 3, 5.

45 Superintendent Monthly Reports, June 1947, p. 3; July 1947, p. 3; September 1947, p. 2; October 1947, p. 1.

Photographs available in the HAVO Archives show the construction, see Photos D50, 060 through 071, identification caption: “Construction of water system-rainshed area, F.R. Oberhansley, 1940s or 50s”; Photos D50 148 and 149, identification caption: “Water system improvement, year unknown, circa 1947”; and Photos D50 150 and 151, identification caption: “Erection of 8 new 100,000 gal. tanks was completed, October 1947.”

The installation of the tanks next to the rain shed necessitated alterations to its roof to bring it in line with the tops of the tanks. The rain shed’s eaves were raised by hoisting the trusses so a 27’ auxiliary rafter could be inserted. The east side of the roof was raised from May to June 1947, and the west side was completed during a “Hukipau” the weekend of November 8-9, 1947 to avoid a forecasted rainstorm. A Quick-Way crane was used for the job. Water collected from the roof of the rain shed drained into the collection tanks via a “transverse flume alongside the center truss of the shed.” Water from the northeast side drained into the first three tanks, while water from the southwest side drained into the other three. The rain shed was 108’ x 114’ and contained a “large storage room and equipment storage stalls” that created “much needed shelter and security for supplies and equipment.”46

The installation of tanks and new mains (including a 6” main connecting the pump house at the Utility Area with a main to the Volcano Observatory, a 6” main from the pump house to the new tanks, and a 6” cast iron pipe from the CCC camp to the Volcano House) required a new pump. The park obtained it from the Navy. The new pump was “coupled directly to the 500 GPM 289’ head pump from the Volcano House system” and powered by a “Blue Streak” 110 hp engine.47 By November 1947, the final connections had been made to six of the new 100,000 gallon tanks and pumping tests were completed. Park personnel discovered that the “pump developed an average discharge into these tanks in excess of 12,000 gallons per hour with a gasoline consumption of about 6 gallons per hour.” The park’s old pump was rebuilt and repowered with a new 55 hp Waukesha engine. Testing determined it could discharge 6,750 gallons an hour at 1,200 rpm.48

The completed updates to the collection system ultimately included the alteration of the Volcano House hotel’s former rain shed, erection of additional water tanks and the moving and dismantling of others, and installation of a new pump and water mains. As reported in the September 1948 final report of the project, the rehabilitation cost $14,596.86.49

These additions to the water system alleviated the immediate issue of sufficient water storage after the collapse of the Volcano House Hotel’s tank. The park realized an updated, modern system needed to be put in place rather than the piecemeal, 46 Final Report, “Rehabilitation of Water System Kilauea Section Headquarters Area,” pp. 24-25; Superintendent Monthly Reports, May 1947, p. 3; June 1947, p. 3; November 1947, photograph caption; Memorandum for the Superintendent, Subject: Narrative Report for November 1947, Assistant to Superintendent and Acting Resident Engineer Moomaw, December 9, 1947, in Superintendent Monthly Report, November 1947.

47 Superintendent Monthly Reports, June 1947, p. 3; July 1947, p. 3; Memorandum for the Superintendent, Subject:

Narrative Report for August 1947 of Assistant to Superintendent and Acting Park Engineer Benjamin F. Moomaw, in Superintendent Monthly Report, August 1947; Final Report, “Rehabilitation of Water System Kilauea Section Headquarters Area,” p. 7.

48 Superintendent Monthly Report, August 1947; Memorandum from the Superintendent, Subject: Narrative Report for November 1947, of Assistant to Superintendent and Acting Resident Engineer Moomaw, December 9, 1947, in Superintendent Monthly Report, November 1947.

49 Final Report, “Rehabilitation of Water System Kilauea Section Headquarters Area,” p. 1.

geographically disparate collection of tanks, pipelines, and associated structures then being utilized. A report on the water situation at the park issued in August 1947 by Regional Engineer Crawley encapsulates the park’s strategy for administering its water resources. According to Frances Jackson’s administrative history of the park, Crawley “pointed out that wooden tanks were not decorative but they were the safest, as pipes and reservoirs in earthquake areas were subject to damage.” He recommended building additional water collection and storage facilities, noting that water sheds did not need to be “unsightly” or even painted red as had been done at Kilauea. He also suggested expending resources on finding a new source of water.50 The NPS and the park explored potential sources of water other than simply collecting rainwater, including purchasing water from the Olaa Sugar Company, Ltd.

The company had a reservoir at Mountain View, approximately 10 to 12 miles northwest from the park, and they were already supplying water to the Kilauea Military Camp for 3 cents a gallon. Another potential source was the Hawaiian Agricultural Company. Investigations were also made into tapping sources of groundwater within the park. Park personnel looked into “rumored springs and streams that might supply the Park” but turned up no potential sources.51 The park instead chose to forge ahead with the expansion of its collection system as recommended by Crawley.

In 1949, the park embarked upon a water system project with multiple components:

Project U-25, Rainshed Extension; Project U-26, Reconstruction of Water Tanks (also referred to Water Storage Tank Reconstruction); and Project U-27, Water Mains Reconstruction. Much of the materials were obtained from Army surplus.52

In November 1949, work began on a 160’ extension project (Project U-25, Rainshed Extension) to the old rain shed. The project had originally been approved in the spring of 1949 but stalled due to inclement weather.53 Once begun, work progressed rapidly in December 1949 and January 1950, with a 90 percent completion estimate given in the superintendent’s monthly report for January. The project involved not only extending the shed but also raising the roof of the “old part of the rainshed” so that it would be “in line with the elevation of the extension.” Costs were minimized by using salvaged materials from elsewhere in the park. For example, park personnel demolished a storage building at the former CCC camp and salvaged iron to use as the roofing material on the rain shed extension. By March 1950, the construction of the roof was complete, as was the painting. A completion report notes: “salvaged material for additional extension (16’). Completed additional extension. Total length completed 176’. Entire length of rainshed to be painted.” The suggestion in the completion report of an “additional extension” seems to indicate that the plans were changed. This may explain why in April 1950, the project was noted as only 80

50 Jackson, p. 159.

51 See Memo from Hillory Tolson, Acting Director to Regional Director, Region Four, June 9, 1947, in File No.

660-05, Box 1180, RG 79, NARA-College Park; Jackson, p. 158.

52 Superintendent Monthly Report, October 1949, p. 2.

53 Superintendent Monthly Reports, November 1949, p. 3; December 1949, p. 2.

percent complete when in January it had been at 90 percent. It was estimated that the extension and resulting increase of roof surface would allow the collection of 2,344,896 gallons a year, based on the “water collection formula of 59 gallons per square foot of shed per year.”54 Further work was undertaken on the building in July, when a windbreak was added at the northeast side of the building “to eliminate the possibility of damage to the building in the event of a severe windstorm and to provide better protection to the heavy equipment” stored within the building.

Salvaged materials, this time from a dismantled barracks at the former CCC camp, were used in this project as well.55

Park personnel made minor repairs and alterations to the building in the 1950s, including riveting and soldering metal gutters, increasing the size of the downspouts, and installing side collection gutters onto 2” x 8” sills that were “slung below the rafter and joist” in 1954. The following year, the superintendent’s monthly report noted the windward side of the building had been fully covered.56

Project U-26, Relocation of Water Tanks (also referred to as the Water Storage Tank Reconstruction Project) began on September 19, 1949. The work involved removing some of the numerous tanks operated by the Volcano House in the location of the former hotel and rain shed, an area known as “Tank Hill.” The hotel’s system as it existed at the time of the takeover included several redwood tanks that were more than thirty years old: one 400,000 gallon redwood tank, three 80,000 gallon redwood tanks, and three 50,000 gallon redwood tanks. There were also two 100,000 gallon tanks dating to 1944 and ten 5,000-10,000 gallon tanks of various ages. No specific information has been found detailing the plan to dismantle the tanks and the proposed layout of the relocated tanks. One source states that of the hotel’s tanks, the park kept the 100,000 gallon, 80,000 gallon, and 50,000 gallon sizes. Eight of the smaller 5,000 to 10,000 gallon sized tanks were dismantled and rebuilt on “Tank Hill.”57 The superintendent monthly reports note that four tanks were removed from “Tank Hill” to the “approved site at the rainshed.” A photograph in the October 1949 monthly report shows the removal of the tanks from Tank Hill and notes that one 100,000 gallon tank, three 80,000 gallon tanks, one 50,000 gallon tank, and two 10,000 gallon tanks were slated to be dismantled. Some of the tanks were in poor condition, as evidenced by a photograph depicting decaying chime joists in one tank that had been built over a steam vent.58 In addition to adding some of the Volcano House hotel’s former tanks to the system, the park also incorporated the 10,000 gallon tanks formerly in use at the CCC camp. In January and February of 1950 eleven tanks were

54 Superintendent Monthly Reports, January 1950, p. 3; February 1950, p. 3; March 1950, p. 3; April 1950, p. 4;

National Park Service, Monthly Progress Report on Physical Improvement in March 1950 Superintendent Monthly Report.

55 Superintendent Monthly Reports, July 1950, p. 4; August 1950, photograph accompanying report.

56 Form 16-54522-2, Building 43. A handwritten note details the February 1954 completion report and work.

57 Final Report, “Rehabilitation of Water System Kilauea Section Headquarters Area,” pp. 11-12; Jackson, p. 160.

58 Superintendent Monthly Reports, September 1949, p. 3; October 1949, p. 2 and photographs accompanying report.

moved from the CCC camp and installed under the rain shed at the headquarters area.59 By 1953, there were fourteen tanks located under the rain shed with one outside the southwest corner. To the rear of the rain shed and shielded from visitor’s eyes was a collection of fourteen redwood tanks grouped in two rows, with plans to locate an additional six tanks at the end of the battery.60

The final component of the project was Project U-27, Water Mains Reconstruction, which is outside the scope of this project. It consisted of connecting the 10,000 gallon tanks at the rain shed to the main collection line, as well as to the system in place at the Utility Area. The project extended the collection line through the headquarters area, park residential area, and Volcano House hotel, ultimately connecting the two collection systems. In addition, a chlorinator was installed on the main.61

Despite the work undertaken on the system, it was found to still be inadequate after a drought hit the park in 1952. The surplus redwood tanks required maintenance because of leakage problems. One of the 50,000 gallon tanks had rotted.62 An earthquake on March 27, 1955 further damaged the system, including two of the 100,000 gallon tanks. The water lines were also broken at six locations, which alerted park officials to larger problems with the distribution system. The lines had become so corroded or clogged with organic matter that the interior diameter of the pipes had been greatly reduced, in some cases a ¾” pipe had been reduced to ¼”.63 The superintendent noted in his monthly report, “it is evident that revision of our water system is in order and a special memorandum will be written on that subject.” 64 In May, F. Woo, an engineer with the Territory, came to the park to examine its system after a series of monthly water tests by the Public Health Service of the Territory yielded poor results. After determining that “the entire system needs revamping,” he made recommendations regarding the filtering of water and improving the collection system. He also suggested constructing a new rain shed to take the place of the current practice of using individual building roofs to collect water, which he noted “contribute by far the greatest amount of leaves and other foreign matter.”65 The following month, Z.D. Harrison of the Public Health Service’s

59 Superintendent Monthly Reports, January 1950, p. 3; February 1950, p. 3.

60 “Water Collection and Sewer System,” and “Water Distribution: Kilauea Headquarters,” March 1953, Sheets 1 and 2.

61 Superintendent Monthly Reports, February 1950, p. 3; March 1950, p. 2; September 1950, p. 4; October 1950, p.

2; November 1950, p. 3; National Park Service Monthly Progress Report on Physical Improvements, March 1950, in Superintendent Monthly Report, March 1950.

62 Jackson, pp. 160-161.

63 Superintendent Monthly Report, March 1955, p. 3; Memorandum to the Superintendent from the Park Engineer, Subject: Monthly Report for June 1955, in Superintendent Monthly Report, June 1955.

64 Superintendent Monthly Report, March 1955, p. 3. Damage included a 6” main of cast iron pipe being pulled apart at its joints, two 4” galvanized iron collection lines pulled apart at the joints, and 2 ½” and 1” galvanized iron pipes being pulled apart at the joints.

65 Memorandum to the Superintendent from the Park Engineer, Subject: Monthly Report for May 1955, in Superintendent Monthly Report, May 1955.

San Francisco office, as well as engineers from the Territorial Public Health Service made another visit. The park’s engineer detailed the group’s recommendations.

For Kilauea it was recommended that the entire water system, collection and distribution pipe lines and all piping in the houses are to be replaced as quickly as possible as corrosion and sedimentation have reduced the available waterway in the lines by as much as 60%. In addition an excessive amount of chlorine is necessary to produce even a trace of residual halfway down the system. Increasing amounts of chlorine are being tried in an attempt to get residual chlorine at the lower end of the line, but with indifferent results, which indicate an excessive amount of vegetable matter in the pipes caused by leaves in the collection system or by bacteria.66

There was interest in using plastic pipe to replace the system’s collection of iron pipes as it was thought that plastic would better withstand earthquake damage and be easier to replace.67

The park embarked upon a comprehensive improvement project from August 1955 to December 1958 after Superintendent John B. Wosky’s pleas for an updated system were heard. The construction centered at the headquarters area, although in January 1955, a centrifugal pump and raw chlorinator were installed in the Utility Area. At the headquarters area, a new rain shed and steel tanks with a 500,000 gallon capacity were built, as well as a 23,500 gallon filter tank. The water mains were also serviced.

When complete, the new system consisted of the original structures (the old rain shed and fourteen redwood tanks with concrete bottoms for raw water storage as well as a wood tank for treated water system) with the addition of a new rain shed, conduit system connecting tanks, a sand filter tank, pump house, and four steel 500,000 gallon tanks for treated and chlorinated water storage.68

The redwood tanks, which served as raw water storage tanks, were rehabilitated over a period of two years, a project completed in February 1957. Water Storage Tank No.

30 in the Utility Area was the first to be rebuilt. It was dismantled, and a new concrete base poured. The ready-mix concrete came from Hilo in mixer trucks, which provided 26 yards of concrete. The park supplied an additional 2 yards with its own mixer. The specifications originally called for an 18” thick base, but a 10” base was poured instead with the justification that “since the concrete base on which the original mudsills and chime joists were laid is 6 inches thick, it is estimated that 10 inches of…