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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, May 28, 2002

Dole Food, state agree on Waialua flood prevention

By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer

In the wake of heavy rains and floods this month that destroyed crops and damaged homes in Waialua, the state and Dole Food Co. have reached an agreement to lower the water level of Wahiawa Reservoir, which also is known as Lake Wilson, in an effort to prevent future flooding.

Lake Wilson, a reservoir and popular fishing spot for many people, including Colin Okuma and his 3-year-old son, Jace, will gradually lose some of its water as part of an effort to minimize area flooding.

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Dole Food, which owns the man-made 300-acre lake designed to collect water for agricultural use, began releasing water from the reservoir a week after the May 6 flooding, with the goal of lowering it about 10 feet. The water that spilled from the rain-swollen reservoir caused nearby streams to overflow in Waialua and contributed to the estimated $300,000 in losses for O'ahu farmers.

"In lowering the lake's water level, we've tried to find a healthy medium for all parties involved," said Sterling Yong, head of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources' flood control and dam safety section. "We had to find a balance for public safety as well as ensure Dole has enough water for the small farmers."

Yong said the latest move does not guarantee flooding will not occur again in Waialua, since portions of the community lie in a flood plain. But it will help reduce the risk of flooding, he said, which has become a problem since 1996 with the demise of the sugar industry on the North Shore and a resulting rise in the reservoir's water level.

"If it's a 10-year, 15-year-type storm, I don't think anything will prevent that type of flooding," he said. "But lowering the water level will help with potentially smaller flooding situations."

Lake Wilson, which was built in 1907, had provided water through outlying streams and irrigation ditches for sugar cane and pineapple fields leading to the North Shore. The reservoir's capacity is estimated at 3 billion gallons. But when Waialua Sugar Co. (also owned by Dole) closed in 1996, the need for the reservoir's water decreased and caused the lake to rise dramatically.

Lake Wilson's current high level has led to major flooding during quick, heavy rains. Waters overflowing the reservoir's 80-foot spillway level have regularly inundated neighborhoods and farmlands near area streams.

One prime example is the Otake Camp neighborhood in Waialua, right next to Kaukonahua Stream. Otake Camp has been flooded several times in the past two decades because of reservoir overspill.

Waialua residents and farmers affected by this month's flooding were relieved by the decision to lower the reservoir. But many asked the same question: What took so long?

"This was something people have asked them again and again to do," said Otake Camp resident Frank Lawrence in Waialua, who has endured three floods in the six years that his family has lived in the neighborhood. The most recent flood sent waist-high water into the bottom floor of his two-story home.

"It seemed like common sense. If you're not going to dredge the streams and you can't afford to do things to fix the problem, maybe you should just release the water more often," Lawrence said.

State officials have approached Dole on releasing the reservoir water more often following previous floods, but this is the first time in recent years that the company has agreed to lower the water level.

While there is no major cost to Dole in releasing the water, the company has tried to ensure there is enough supply for its diversified agriculture operations and for small farmers who lease land from them.

Yong said the release of reservoir water also needed the approval of the state Department of Health, since treated effluent from the city Wahiawa Wastewater Treatment Plant is discharged into Lake Wilson. DOH officials gave the go-ahead for the water release after the city upgraded its treatment plant this year to improve the quality of the treated wastewater.

"It all came down to public safety," said Wahiawa Community and Business Association member Dan Nakasone. "Once the city wastewater treatment plan was upgraded, everyone felt more comfortable releasing the water."

Dole Food Co. Hawai'i plans to lower the water level by about 10 feet in hopes of leaving enough space for future heavy rains, said general manager Michael O'Brien. But it may take weeks or months to get it that low since the water can only be released through a 24-inch wide outfall pipe, O'Brien said. Since the gradual release is monitored, it is not considered a flood risk.

"How quickly we can lower (the lake) will depend on the rainfall," O'Brien said. "We thought it would be better to start now while the weather was good."

Releasing water from Lake Wilson does raise a concern of the opposite nature, though.

Yong said one concern is that too much water might be drained during projected El Niño weather that may cause droughtlike conditions. "You don't want it so low that there simply isn't enough water left for the farmers," Yong said.

DLNR officials also have to be careful not to endanger the lake's fishery by draining too much of the lake. Along with dam control, the department is also in charge of a long-term plan to replenish the lake's peacock and large mouth bass population.

Meanwhile, a recent DLNR study looked at ways to help Otake Camp residents in Waialua, but found many of the proposals to be too expensive. Building emergency basins to handle overflows from Wahiawa Reservoir would cost between $530 million and $680 million, the study said.

Elevating the homes, moving them to higher ground, or condemning the property were other options, but the Otake family that owns the estimated 20 homes there rejected those, Yong said.

Waialua resident Clem Camou, who has endured five or six floods in his 24 years at Otake Camp, just doesn't want to experience any more hell from high water.

"We hope it stops now. This last one was one of the worst," Camou said. "Experiencing just one of these floods is enough."

Reach Scott Ishikawa at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.