Hawaii Water Service Operations Manager Recognized Nationally for Response During Lahaina Fire
11 September 2024 - 7:30AM
(NYSE: CWT)—For his leadership to keep water flowing to his local
communities during the devastating Lahaina wildfire last year, the
National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) honored John (Kani)
Kadowaki with the Living Water Award during its annual Water Summit
today. Kadowaki is the Maui Operations Manager of Hawaii Water
Service (Hawaii Water), a subsidiary of California Water Service
Group (Group).
The Living Water Award is presented to the regulated water
industry professional who best demonstrates excellence in serving
the community, colleagues, the industry, or the environment.
Although Kadowaki’s own family and home were impacted by the
wildfire, he stayed to lead his small but dedicated team of water
system operators to keep providing a safe, reliable supply of water
to the utility’s Ka’anapali and Kapalua service areas, both during
and after the fires.
Kadowaki was instrumental in overseeing operations—which was
short-staffed due to team members being impacted by the fire—to
provide a steady source of water to firefighters trying to stop the
fire in Lahaina from spreading into adjacent Ka’anapali and beyond,
to residents, and to hotels that were housing both tourists and
displaced locals. Under his leadership, Hawaii Water became the
only water provider in West Maui that did not need to implement a
boil water advisory or experience water service outages during and
after the tragedy. Kadowaki and his team accomplished this despite
significant challenges, such as the prolonged lack of reception for
cell phones, satellite phones, and two-way radios; widespread power
outages; extremely limited access to diesel fuel to run generators
that were critical to keep the water systems online; worry about
their families and homes; and a lack of sleep.
“The devastation and loss witnessed in the Lahaina Fire were
truly unfathomable, and although his own family was impacted,
Kani’s aloha for his community compelled him to lead his team and
keep safe, clean water flowing to our customers and community,”
said Marty Kropelnicki, Group Chairman and CEO. “I appreciate the
recognition NAWC has given Kani on behalf of his team, and I’m
incredibly proud of him for receiving this honor on behalf of the
entire Hawaii Water team.”
“Kani and the Hawaii Water team on Maui showed incredible
strength and dedication, working tirelessly around the clock in the
most difficult of circumstances and developing creative solutions
to keep the water system operating properly,” Kropelnicki added. “I
believe that the team’s efforts to keep firefighters supplied with
the water they needed kept the fire from spreading into our service
areas and impacting more of West Maui.”
About California Water Service GroupCalifornia
Water Service Group (NYSE: CWT) is the largest regulated water
utility in the western United States. It provides high-quality,
reliable water and/or wastewater services to more than 2.1 million
people in California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Washington, and Texas
through its regulated subsidiaries, California Water Service,
Hawaii Water Service, New Mexico Water Service, and Washington
Water Service, and its utility holding company, Texas Water
Service.
Group’s purpose is to enhance the quality of life for customers,
communities, employees, and stockholders. To do so, it invests
responsibly in water and wastewater infrastructure, sustainability
initiatives, and community well-being. The company’s 1,200+
employees live by a set of strong core values and share a
commitment to protecting the planet, caring for people, and
operating with the utmost integrity. The company has been named one
of “America’s Most Responsible Companies” and the “World’s Most
Trustworthy Companies” by Newsweek, a Top Workplace, and a Great
Place to Work®. More information is available
at www.calwatergroup.com.
Media ContactYvonne
Kingmanykingman@calwater.com310-257-1434
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/82d0f7d9-8128-4a02-b296-b51ac4f9b7f5
California Water Service (NYSE:CWT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
California Water Service (NYSE:CWT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024