Kapa'a trash site hours extended

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

KAILUA — In support of an effort to reduce the amount of trash being dumped along Kapa'a Quarry Road, the city has agreed to extend the hours of its transfer station there, and a citizen has offered a $2,500 reward for the successful prosecution of illegal dumpers.

"People will read them and possibly do something right for a change," King said. "That and the addition of the added hours to the transfer station will definitely help."

Beginning tomorrow the city will extend the hours of the Kapa'a Transfer Station to 6 p.m. daily.

The pilot program was initiated at the request of members of the Bust-A-Dumper campaign that is following to a six-point action plan to eliminate rampant illegal dumping on Kapa'a Quarry Road. Campaign organizers felt the 4:30 p.m. closing time wasn't reasonable, said Jim Wood, campaign member.

"We think it's going to have a definite positive effect," Wood said. "Not that everybody that arrived late dumped, but certainly that was one motivation."

The city was to conduct a major sweep of the street today, removing most of the trash in preparation for the project that includes evaluating its effectiveness, said Shannon Wood, with Bust-A-Dumper.

"The city will remove anything big, so we'll have an idea of what kind of trash is being dropped off," she said. "I'm very pleased."

The city doesn't have a timeline on the project but it should pay "big dividends" in the fight against illegal dumping, said Frank Doyle, the city's Department of Environmental Services director. Doyle couldn't say how much the pilot project would cost, but the three employees there would work 1 1/2 hours overtime per day to cover the extended hours.

The Kapa'a Quarry Road Working Group that created the action plan has addressed four of the six points and plans to continue pursuing its goals to patrol, educate, change disposal rules, raise money, restore landscaping and conduct stewardship projects.

Since the plan was initiated last year, the group has raised $15,000 for a police patrol, conducted quarterly cleanups, held a fund-raiser, cleared the view plane on the Kalaheo end of the road and lobbied for legislation that targets illegal dumpers.

A police patrol reduced dumping but didn't lead to any arrests, King said, adding that he thought clearing the view plane on the Kalaheo side of the road also contributed to less dumping.

King is largely responsible for the clearing, but once a week a crew from the Women's Community Correctional Center cuts the grass to keep the area clean. King said without their help the area would be overgrown with grass and shrubs.

Jim Wood said the Legislature is about to vote on a bill that would increase the penalty for illegal dumping, and he has just completed a request for a grant to manage Kapa'a Stream and two ditches along the road.

If approved, the project would improve the stream and create sediment pools that would collect runoff and decrease the amount of excess nitrogen and sediment that flow into the marsh from Kapa'a Valley, he said.

"We're definitely still active and working on these things as we get appropriate money and energy," he said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.