Talk Story with an Advertiser: Uncle Tilo’s Clean Water LLC

It is very important that those using water from a rain catchment or well system understand all the potential dangers and benefits.

Uncle Tilo’s Clean Water LLC is the shared vision of Todd Lolla and Kathy Archer, both residents of lower Puna for the past 10 years and outspoken advocates for sustainable community living.

Their goal starting out in 2017 was to assist their community with basic water treatment services; however, the 2018 eruption soon brought about a heightened demand for education specific to rainwater harvesting, the primary water source for nearly one-third of all Hawaii‘i Island households. Todd says, “We were already hosting our First Saturday Education events at a local park when the eruption started. We quickly needed to add regular posts on our Facebook page to reach an even larger number of people with questions.” Their First Saturday Education event is now in its third year and is held at their store in Pāhoa from 10am to noon every month.

Todd Lolla, aka Uncle Tilo, grew up in the Midwest and remembers harvesting rainwater on his family’s dairy farm through the mid-1970s. He is a graduate of the South Dakota School of Mines, with a BS in geological engineering. His earliest projects involved groundwater studies and the subsequent cleanup of fuel spills at gasoline stations. This led him to become a licensed well-driller in Arizona for the next 10 years. His focus on groundwater issues led him to specialize in storm water management, working with state environmental agencies to set standards for the protection of groundwater across the Southwest desert.

In 2009, he left the engineering world behind and moved to Hawai‘i Island. Itʻs fitting that his engineering skills are again being called upon to work with local water quality issues.

Uncle Tilo focuses on water disinfection for household use and consumption. As a distributor for Claire Technologies, they carry the full line of Quantum Disinfection and reverse osmosis water sources.

Uncle Tilo’s exclusive “Clean Water Filter Pack” for whole house disinfection produces 12 gpm (gallons per minute) of clean water and does not require power. The plug-and-play board is complete and ready to install. Off-grid community members find this very attractive.

If you have any water questions, whether itʻs about well, municipal, or rainwater catchment, you can stop by, call, read their Facebook page, check out their new website, or attend the next monthly education event.

Uncle Tilo’s Clean Water LLC
Pahoa Marketplace
808.965.1026
TilosCleanWater.com