Ancient civilizations collected rainwater for drinking. That practice continues even today on the Big Island of Hawaii, where rainwater is a major source of drinking water for more than 10,000 people on the island’s northern tip.At the Waimea Water Treatment Plant, water from streams fed by rainfall is collected in reservoirs and fed by gravity to the plant, where it is treated and distributed to residents of the Waimea, South Kohala and Hamakua areas. Production capacity is 4.0 mgd; daily production averages 2.0 to 2.5 mgd. Two groundwater wells are available to supplement the streamflow.There are plans to increase capacity
