Flowing just beneath the surface of just about everything we do in Hawaii is oil.

Hawaii is the most oil-dependent state in the union and despite all the efforts to boost alternatives, that status is likely to remain for a long time to come.

The latest example of our vulnerabilty to oil and its rising cost was word from the Honolulu Board of Water Supply that  in July it will impose a “power cost” adjustment of just over 9 cents for every 1,000 gallons of water you use. This is in addition to already approved water rate hikes which were based in part on anticipated increases in fuel costs.

There hasn’t been much reaction from consumers who are already numb from fuel cost “adjustments” on everything from airline tickets to the price of shipping goods. Even Hawaiian Electric has added to the bill for unexpectedly higher oil costs - nearly 15 cents per kilowatt-hour.

That adds up to a double whammy for consumers, since the Board uses electricity to pump the water.  A surcharge on a surcharge as it were.

By all accounts the cost of water is still fairly reasonable in Honolulu. The Board said its rates are among the lowest in the nation and certainly below Neighbor Island rates.

But there you have it. Until the day when we figure out how to make most of our power from something other than imported fuel ( and they’re working on it) , we are at the mercy of others.