We at Hawaiian Springs take offense to Honolulu Weekly’s cover story titled, “Bottled Water: A Drink Against Nature.” [Sept. 5]
Despite your citing statistics and predictions that indicate “drier than normal conditions…during the winter,” Hawaiian Springs water is sourced from an aquifer that captures approximately 200 inches of rainwater per year and recharges at a rate of 117 million gallons per day [gpd], while we bottle only about 16,000 gpd.
When the replenishing volume (more than could be consumed on Oahu each day) exceeds what the aquifer can hold, it simply returns to nature through evaporation or as clean runoff into Hilo Bay. [E]ven though we’ve initiated distribution in other markets, approximately 80 percent of Hawaiian Springs Water is still sold in the Hawaiian Islands.
In addition, we feel that the article does not give the residents of Hawaii proper credit for their commitment to recycling. According to the Hawaii State Department of Health, the statewide redemption rate for beverage containers from July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012 [was] strong, at 77 percent. Through Preserving Paradise, the company’s conservation initiative, Hawaiian Springs supports programs and organizations such as the Plant Extinction Prevention Program, the Nature Conservancy, and others to protect Hawaii’s extraordinary biodiversity.
Sharing Hawaii’s water with the world is no different than the exporting of fruits, coffee or other fine products that people associate with our Islands.
Rick Hadley Chairman and CEO Hawaiian Springs