Moloka'i mud hole proposed
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
The endangered Hawaiian stilt would regain some old habitat near Kaunakakai under a $900,000 project proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Maui County.
Advertiser library photo
The excavation in the bed of Kaunakakai Stream would create 3.2 acres of shallow ponds and mudflats designed especially for the rare native waterbird also known as the ae'o.
The ae'o, an endangered Hawaiian stilt, is down to about 1,500 throughout the state. These stilts were photographed at Campbell Industrial Park about two years ago.
Under the proposal, the construction work would take place within the existing flood control project that protects Kaunakakai Town, and there would be no modification of the levee structures, said Edwina Williams, civil works project manager with the Army Corps of Engineers.
As it is now, the stilts visit the area only occasionally, when water levels are just right. By excavating to bring the surface elevations to or slightly below groundwater levels, year-round open water pools can be maintained, Williams said.
"As my boss says, we're creating one big mud hole," she said.
Hawaiian stilts nest near shallow brackish ponds, mud flats and shorelines, where they find their diet of small invertebrates.
A major reason for the decline of this species has been habitat destruction by drainage of marshes and other wetland areas. Scientists estimate 1,500 stilts still exist on all the major Hawaiian islands except Lana'i.
A side benefit of deepening the channel, Williams said, is that there may be fewer instances of flooding. The streambed sits along business and residential areas and, after a rain, the water flows underneath the Maunaloa Highway on its way to the sea.
The federal government would pay 75 percent of the project with money obtained though the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, which allocates money for environmental restoration. County officials have indicated the county is willing to pay the rest.
Williams said officials are aiming to begin construction during 2003 or early 2004.
Deadline for public comment on the draft environmental assessment is Dec. 23. Address comments to the Maui County Department of Public Works and Environmental Management, 200 S. High St., Wailuku, HI 96793.
