Posted on: Friday, February 21, 2003

Kawainui salvinia problem not as bad

• School stuck with buildup of bass

By Eloise Aguiar and Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writers

Even as the state struggles to make inroads to a massive growth of Salvinia molesta at Lake Wilson, experts concluded that an infestation of the noxious weed at Kawainui Marsh in Kailua is limited.

The growth at Kawainui is not as extensive as that at Lake Wilson and is mostly contained in drainage ditches along the road in the upper area of the marsh, said Derek J. Chow, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

And because the area is easily accessible, spraying the weeds with a chemical herbicide might be the best way to deal with it, Chow said.

"That's what we would do," he said yesterday.

Excavation of salvinia continued at Lake Wilson yesterday, with backhoes plucking the floating weeds and front-end loaders dropping them into Dumpsters. Workers and officials at the site refused to talk with reporters.

However, state officials remain optimistic that the weed can be cleared in 28 working days, and the plan is to open several more excavation sites along the lake. Currently, the city operates from a site behind Kemoo By The Lake condominium on Wilikina Drive.

The state wants to open a second site by the boat ramp at the Lake Wilson Recreation Area, which has been closed indefinitely. Officials are looking to work with the military to open another site on its property.

"We're still moving forward," said Peter Young, director of state Department of Land and Natural Resources. "The 28 days is still our target."

With the weed covering about 95 percent of the lake's surface since it begin spreading in November, workers pulled out an estimated acre of salvinia on Tuesday — the first day of excavation — and 112 cubic yards on Wednesday. There was no word on how much was removed yesterday, but at least 70,000 cubic yards of the weed remained.

Because salvinia grows faster during the summer when the water is warmer — making for ideal conditions in which the plant can double its coverage area every two to three days — the state wants the weed removed from the lake as soon as possible.

In Kailua, residents and officials don't want the situation to reach such serious proportions at Kawainui Marsh.

The Army Corps hosted several experts on a tour of the marsh yesterday. The group happened to meet Sen. Bob Hogue, R-24th (Kane'ohe-Maunawili) and Rep. David Pendleton, R-49th (Maunawili-Enchanted Lake-Kane-'ohe) who also were touring the marsh in anticipation of a community meeting next week to organize a Salvinia molesta clean-up at the marsh and decide how to accomplish that.

Hogue said the specialists, including an entomologist and an ecologist, were helpful in identifying the problem areas and various invasive plants growing in the marsh, including two types of salvinia and a water lettuce.

The specialists suggested that because the areas of infestation are contained, the plant could be killed with an herbicide, he said.

But because of the nature of the noxious plant, residents will have to remain vigilant and monitor the marsh for regrowth, Hogue said.

To participate in Kailua's salvinia cleanup, residents should attend a planning meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Kailua District Park.