Volunteer Plumbers Install Water Protection Systems for Volcano Households Amid Kīlauea Ash Fallout

Ten teams of licensed plumbers and apprentices spent a day earlier this month installing water catchment diverters for 30 households in the Volcano community, where ongoing ash and tephra fallout from Kīlauea has raised concerns about the safety of residents' primary water source. For many families in Volcano, rainwater catchment systems are not a backup supply — they are the only one. The diverters installed by volunteers are designed to temporarily redirect rainwater away from catchment tanks during periods of heightened volcanic activity, reducing the risk of ash and debris contaminating household water.

The installations were completed through a volunteer effort organized by Vibrant Hawaiʻi, in partnership with the Kika Bukowski and Matt Brady of the Plumbers and Fitters UA Local 675, drawing together licensed tradespeople and apprentices who donated their time and technical skill to address an immediate community need.

The project illustrates a pattern that has become increasingly common in disaster-prone areas of Hawaiʻi Island: when environmental hazards threaten basic infrastructure, coordinated volunteer response involving skilled labor can provide rapid, practical solutions that might otherwise take government agencies longer to deploy.

Mahalo to Plumbers and Fitters UA Local 675, IAPMO, Commercial Plumbing Inc., Dorvin D. Leis Co. Inc., Furuta Plumbing, HPM Building Supply, Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, Central Supply, Inc, and the many licensed plumbers, apprentices, and volunteers who dedicated their Saturday to this effort.