A lot of people on the Big Island live off the grid, sometimes by choice, often because those services aren’t available. Larger urban areas like Hilo and Kailua Kona have decent options, but the more rural the area, the less that’s available. Where I live, there’s public power and water, but no sewer system.

Because of this, catchment water tanks are a common sight, especially on the east side of the island, where there’s more rainfall. This one was in Volcano Village at a vacation rental. Generally, catchment water is used for everything except human consumption. Some homes install systems to purify catchment water to make it drinkable. Otherwise, drinking water is delivered by tanker or can be obtained by filling bottles at public water spigots located around the island.