Ala Wai choking on river of trash
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
Even the state workers who fight to keep the Ala Wai Canal clear every winter were surprised at the 50 tons of branches, tree stumps and other rubbish that choked the waterway after the most recent rains.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
The Ala Wai is shallow and obstructed in the best of times, but a succession of major storms has sent a steady flow of debris into the canal since November. Besides creating an unsightly mess, the mud and dangerous obstacles dropped by the storms have made safety even more of a concern than usual for canoe paddlers, the primary users of the canal.
A large tree trunk sits in the middle of the Ala Wai Canal on Monday making for a major obstacle that canoe paddlers must avoid. Because of the recent heavy rains, more debris has been deposited into the canal making it even shallower.
During the most recent storm last week, Mike Walther, owner of O'ahu Nature Tours, watched from his 32nd-floor apartment overlooking the Ala Wai and Manoa Stream as a 50-foot tree floated past.
"It looked like a redwood tree," Walther said.
Steve Thompson, O'ahu boating division manager for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, estimated that at least 50 tons of debris were taken out of the Ala Wai after heavy rain last week, 30 tons from the Yacht Harbor alone, at an estimated cost of $25,000.
"We clean up each time there's a storm," Thompson said. "This year we had a big rain in November and thought we had gotten most of it, so when the next rains came in January it surprised us."
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Thompson said the big tree Walther saw from his apartment is lodged in the canal bottom and would cost about $10,000 to remove. He said the tree will likely stay right where it is until the planned dredging of the canal this summer.
The bottom of the Ala Wai Canal could be seen during low tide Monday. Recent heavy rains have swept more debris and mud than usual into the canal, creating an eyesore and hazards for canoers.
The 2-mile-long canal hasn't been dredged since 1978 and is a smelly, mud-filled eyesore less than two feet deep in places.
The state awarded a $7.4 million contract to dredge the canal last February, but a court challenge from a losing bidder has held up work.
Work is now expected to begin sometime this summer, according to Andrew Monden, chief engineer for the DLNR. The contract was awarded to American Marine Corp., which submitted the lowest bid of $7,433,547.50 to remove 170,000 cubic yards of sediment.
While state contractors have removed most of the storm debris, the mud simply sinks to the bottom, making paddling tougher.
Hannie Anderson, president of the O'ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association, said the situation is dangerous and that canoes and paddles are often damaged and crews have to keep a constant watch.
"Sometimes when I paddle down there and put my blade in the water, I'm hitting mud," Anderson said. "You have a lot of debris — rubbish, logs, tree stumps. You name it, you got it."
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
