A water outage in southern and central Okinawa had minimal impacts on U.S. military installations on the island. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)
A water outage in southern and central Okinawa that was resolved by Tuesday afternoon had minimal effects on U.S. military installations on the island, according to the military and the prefecture.
“All water on base is potable, water tanks are full and service remains uninterrupted,” Marine Corps Installations Pacific spokesman Maj. Brett Dornhege-Lazaroff said by phone Tuesday.
Water was restored to Uruma city early Tuesday morning, according to a post on the Camps Courtney and McTureous Facebook page. The camps lie within Uruma but have a water reserve, the post stated.
“Repairs are still being done, but no impact should be felt by consumers,” the post said. “Water remains potable.”
Torii Station, home to the U.S. Army on Okinawa, asked people there to conserve water until the system is fully restored “later this afternoon,” according to a post on the U.S. Army Garrison Okinawa Facebook page Tuesday. The base is not under a boil water advisory, the post states.
Kadena Air Base receives its water from the Chatan and Ishikawa purification plants, which continued to operate normally, a spokesman for the Okinawa Prefectural Enterprise Bureau said by phone Tuesday. The 18th Wing at Kadena referred questions Monday to the enterprise bureau.
A pipe in the Shioya district of Ogimi Village that carries water to the Kushi purification plant burst early Monday, according to the Okinawa Prefectural Enterprise Bureau’s website.
The Nishihara purification plant, downstream of the Kushi plant, stopped supplying water at 6:20 p.m. Monday, the spokesman said. Some areas of Naha, Urasoe and Itoman cities and Nishihara town lost water service.
Service resumed around 4 a.m. Tuesday after water was redirected from the Kushi plant to the Nishihara plant through an alternate route late Monday, the spokesman said.
However, some municipalities may experience a delay depending on the water level in their storage tanks, he added.
Water throughout the island remains potable, he said. Water may appear murky coming from the tap, depending on water tank conditions.
“This is temporary,” he said. “Please pour out a little and check before drinking.”
Some Japanese government officials speak to the press only on condition of anonymity.
AloJapan.com