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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, August 8, 2001

Ahua Street shops look to stem tide

By Jean Chow
Advertiser Staff Writer

Every time the tide is high, there's a flood on Ahua Street in Mapunapuna.

The flooded intersection at Ahua and Kilihau in Mapunapuna makes driving tough for motorists.

Kyle Sackowski • The Honolulu Advertiser

The street has been flooding for so many years that businesses in this industrial area of O'ahu near Ke'ehi Lagoon no longer find it a strange phenomenon.

During high tide at certain times of the month, the storm drains back up, causing water from Ke'ehi Lagoon to flood Ahua — mostly where it crosses Kilihau, but sometimes as far up as 'Awa'awaloa — because some of the street is at or below sea level.

The flooding may last for two hours at a time before receding when the tide goes out.

"Sometimes the water gets into our shop," said Ian Yoshizawa, manager of Ron's Auto Parts. "When that happens, our guys can't work and have to stop their jobs."

Yoshizawa and other business owners are frustrated that little has been done over the years to fix the problem.

"In response to complaints, several years ago the city installed a flap gate on the storm drain outlet that goes out to Ke'ehi Lagoon," said Ross Sasamura, director of the city's Department of Facility Maintenance. "(But) perhaps the issue with the flap gate is that it was only intended to be a quick fix to relieve the situation, not a permanent solution."

Most merchants say they have been able to work around the flooding without it crippling business, but they worry about the effects.

"It's hard to drive through here without going through the water, so if people know about it, they won't come," said Bob Freeman, president of Mr. Sandman, Inc., who has been working in Mapunapuna for more than 15 years.

Businesses also are worried about other potential dangers.

"So far no one's gotten in an accident, but it's dangerous — some people think it's funny and will drive really fast and end up sliding," said Cindy Canionero, who works in the credit department of Medallion Carpets.

In addition, "the water is brackish and a lot of people will drive through it, not knowing that they're causing their car to rust. My 9-year-old truck is rusted out," Freeman said.

"It's just like driving in the ocean," agreed Mike Takamoto, manager of Medallion Carpets. "I'm concerned about these new cars, especially about their brakes."

"A lot of people think it's just a broken fire hydrant or something, so they don't question it," Canionero said.

Damon Estates, the estate management company that owns most of the property along Ahua Street, says it has been working with the city's Department of Facility Maintenance to deal with the flooding.

A pedestrian beats the floodwaters by hitching a ride across the intersection.

Kyle Sackowski • The Honolulu Advertiser

"There was a study done a few years back, but there needs to be a follow-up," said Tim Johns, the estate's chief operating officer.

Johns said that the city implemented some of the recommendations from the first study.

To eliminate the flooding, Sasamura said, the drainage system in the area must be redesigned. That part of the system runs through state property, and the city is working with the state to come up with a design to address the problem, he said.

"We have to design the solution to prevent the water not only from coming back up through the system, but also to handle the opposite — so if there is heavy rainfall, water can leave the system regardless of what level the tide is," he said. "This is a problem that requires a lot of technical information and requires innovative design. It's not something that can happen very quickly."

But while the city and state work to find a solution, merchants say that the flooding continues as it did before.

"I'd love to see something done about it. It's been a problem for many years and nothing's been done," Freeman said.