Unused dredger heads for Salt Lake
| • | Map: Cleaning out Salt Lake: 3 phases |
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
As the first phase of a three-year, $10 million dredging of the Salt Lake Waterway nears completion, Rep. Glenn Wakai wants to make sure the work continues and has helped secure the use of a state-owned floating dredging machine called the Mog to save money on the project.
The Mog was purchased in 1991 to remove debris from state waterways, principally the Ala Wai Canal, but could not fit under the canal's bridges or dig deep enough to be used there. Wakai said a March 17 article in The Advertiser about the Mog sitting unused in a warehouse got his attention.
"I followed up on a Jim Dooley article about the state's disastrous purchase of the $219,000 Mog," Wakai said. "The heavy dredging equipment has basically sat idle for the past dozen years, but ... I called the Department of Land and Natural Resources to see if the Mog could be used to dredge the Salt Lake Waterway. To my delight, I learned it still works and I was able to secure the use of the equipment in my district.
"So after 12 years, the state is in a position to turn that suspect piece of equipment into an asset."
The dredging is a joint project of the city and state intended to remove years of runoff that clogged the waterway. Wakai, D-31st (Salt Lake, Tripler), along with DLNR and city representatives, went to see the Mog and the work site last week to ensure it could be used.
City spokeswoman Carol Costa said Phase 1 of the project is 95 percent complete, covering the portion along Ala Napunani Street to the outlet channel. The water has been dredged to a depth of 3 feet, but the contractor still needs to haul away the dredged material.
Phase 2 will extend in the waterway along Likini Street toward Salt Lake Elementary School, and the final phase will include the main lake.
Ellen Uyehara, whose home is on Ala Napunai, has been a vocal advocate of the dredging for many years and said the sulfuric stench and health risks — wastewater overflows and garbage dumped along the banks — must be corrected.
Uyehara has been pushing for a cleaning of the waterway since major flooding struck the area in 1974. She said the stench has been reduced as the dredging moves along.
"It's a long process and I think a lot of us have learned to become very patient," Uyehara said.
Wakai has introduced a bill to appropriate $340,000 to finance half of Phase 2. The bill has passed both the House and Senate money committees and will likely be passed by the Legislature, he said. The city has already set aside money to pay for the other half of Phase 2, and using the Mog will save about $120,000 because the contractor will not have to provide its own dredging equipment, Wakai said.
A bill introduced last year by Sen. Norman Sakamoto, D-15th (Waimalu, Airport, Salt Lake) to provide $800,000 in a grant-in-aid to the city to finance the dredging was vetoed by former Gov. Ben Cayetano. That bill also included use of the Mog for dredging.
The final phase is the most expensive and will require federal money, which our congressional delegation is working on, according to City Councilman Romy Cachola.
Cachola said the federal government is involved because wastewater overflows from the Aliamanu Military Reservation have polluted the area.
Cachola said that with the city, state and federal governments contributing to the financing and property owner Honolulu County Club becoming responsible for maintenance after the dredging is completed, residents can expect a clean waterway before long.
Reach James Gonser at 535-2431 or jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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