Posted on: Monday, November 4, 2002

Ala Wai dredging moves to next phase

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

American Marine Corp. has completed the first phase of the Ala Wai dredging project, and will begin the next phase later this week.

The area between Ala Moana Boulevard bridge and the McCully Street bridge was cleared of 15,000 cubic yards of sediment and debris, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The second phase involves dredging between the McCully Street bridge and 600 feet beyond the Manoa-Palolo drainage canal.

American Marine Corp., the state contractor for the project, will dredge to a depth of 10 feet and expects to remove 140,000 cubic yards of sediment.

The contractor stopped work in the phase-one area Friday and is expected to begin working Wednesday on phase two. The second phase is the largest of four, and work could continue through midsummer.

The work marks the first dredging of the canal in more than two decades, and is expected to rid the waterway of odors, increase flow and make it more usable for recreational activities.

American Marine Corp. was awarded the contract last year to remove 170,000 cubic yards of sediment and dredge the two-mile canal to a depth of 6 to 12 feet.

American Marine used a barge-mounted crane with a hydraulic clam bucket to scoop the debris and sediment and dump it into a scow.

A push-boat specially designed to fit under the low Ala Wai bridges was used to move the scow to and from the Magic Island staging area. The debris was then dumped into an ocean disposal site 3.8 miles off the airport approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources advises the public to avoid contact with water in the dredging area, which will have higher-than-normal levels of bacteria.

Paddlers or boaters should wash with soap and water immediately after leaving the area, and those with open wounds should be especially careful to avoid contact with the water.