Ala Wai dredging delayed
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| Crews from American Marine Corp. use a tugboat to move a barge into position at Ala Wai Yacht Harbor in preparation for dredging the Ala Wai Canal.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser |
| • | Graphic: Ala Wai dredging, Phase 1 |
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
The contractor who will dredge the Ala Wai Canal is moving forward with the $7.4 million project but the actual removal of sediment has been delayed from its scheduled start tomorrow, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
"Due to minor delays, the project will start slightly behind schedule," said Deborah Ward, DLNR spokeswoman. "Our contractor is in the process of mobilizing and prepping pieces of equipment, so it is just taking a little bit longer than expected."
American Marine Corp. was awarded the contract last year to remove 170,000 cubic yards of sediment and to dredge the canal to a depth of 6 to 12 feet. The company is about to begin phase one of the project, removing sediment from a half-mile stretch of the canal from the Ala Moana bridge to the McCully Street bridge and taking it to a depth of about 12 feet. Area one work is expected to take about 15 days.
Work along the two-mile canal will be done in four stages and is expected to be completed within a year.
The Ala Wai, which acts as a catchment basin for water flowing from Manoa, Palolo, Makiki and surrounding areas, was last dredged in 1978. Since then, the canal has become choked with sediment, often stinks and is mere inches deep at low tide.
The company had asked for a noise variance permit to work 24 hours a day if needed, but the state Department of Health permit granted this week will allow dredging only from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
"We also told them if they need an exception to work later they could come in with a request," said Janice Okubo, DOH spokeswoman. "We will have to determine if their reasons are justifiable and they will be required to notify residents and the community."
The city also granted a right of entry to the contractor allowing American Marine to set up a staging area in the Magic Island parking lot, a portion of which will be fenced off from public use during dredging, Ward said.
Neil Williams, project manager for American Marine, said the company started installing the temporary mooring sites in the water at Magic Island on July 29.
Sediment will be removed from the Ala Wai using a barge-mounted crane with a hydraulic clam bucket that will scoop materials and dump them into a scow. A push-boat, specially designed to fit under the Ala Wai bridges, will be used to move the dump scow to and from the Magic Island staging area. The scows can hold 300 cubic yards of material each and will be towed to an Environmental Protection Agency-approved dumping site 3.8 miles off the airport.
At a July 10 public hearing, Waikiki residents, canoe paddlers and recreational sailboat owners told state officials they are most concerned about excessive noise, strong odors and restricted access to the canal during the project.
American Marine is using a silt curtain to contain the sediment and leaving a 50-foot-wide path along one side of the canal for canoe paddlers to pass. They have also taken measures to keep noise and odors down, Williams said.
Another public hearing will be held later for the area at the Kapahulu Avenue end of the canal, which will be dredged last. The estimated 1,825 cubic yards of sediment from that area is expected to contain pollutants, including chlordane, and will be taken to a disposal site at Sand Island for treatment.
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
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