| Project Scope:
Two local non-profit corporations in
Hawaii, Alu Like, Inc., and HCEOC, were pursuing the
development of appropriate, affordable housing for Native
Hawaiians, Guamanians and American Samoans residing in Hawaii.
Self-help housing had been selected as one desirable approach to
achieving overall housing development objectives.
Unfortunately, many of the prospective housing sites were
located in undeveloped areas of Hawaii that contained few, if
any, public utility systems. Further, connections to available
systems for water, wastewater, and electrical power frequently
could not be installed on an economic basis.
The initial Milolii-Ho’opuloa
Housing Project was used as a model for determining how
appropriate supporting utility systems should be selected. The
project report included an easy to read section on how to select
appropriate utility systems for any specific housing project.
The recommended approach addressed cultural considerations of
future homeowners, environmental conditions, laws and
regulations, required system capacities, appropriate
technologies, operation and maintenance, and other design
criteria.
Subsequent application of this
process to the Milolii project involved the review of factors
influencing the selection of utility system options for water
supply and distribution, wastewater collection, treatment and
disposal, and electrical power supply and distribution.
Required system capacities and specific design criteria were
developed for each system. The advantages and constraints to
various system options for each supporting utility were also
evaluated. A methodology for the evaluation of alternate system
options was also established and used to ultimately select
recommended utility systems for the housing project |
