Water board issues heads-up
By Will Hoover
Advertiser Leeward O'ahu Writer
The word "DANGER" emblazoned across the top immediately told the reader this was not a typical newspaper advertisement.
But the Honolulu Board of Water Supply felt that work scheduled to begin this month on a 24-inch water main under the Ulehawa Channel Crossing in Nanakuli/Lualualei — a popular area for swimming — called for a different approach.
"Ulehawa Channel-Crossing construction to begin soon," reads the ad, published last month. "Please Kokua. Don't swim or wade in the channel on or near its mouth at any time once construction begins."
The advisory, which listed phone numbers for residents to call to comment, went on to explain that crews would block off half the channel while new pipe is laid, and that the work would create dangerous currents in the open half of the channel and in ocean waters around the channel entrance.
The warnings are part of the open approach that the board has taken in reaching out to the community to seek input on projects affecting the area.
"That way, you are able to design a project with minimal impact that has community support," said Wai'anae resident William Aila, who called the approach "a fundamental change" in how government agencies deal with the public. "It doesn't get any better than that."
Howard Tanaka, head of the BWS maintenance and engineering branch, said the board listens to, and acts on, what it hears from those who live in the affected areas.
He said the board was concerned about the work on Ulehawa Channel on Farrington Highway because it's a popular place for kids to swim.
"What we observed when we did the site inspection with the cultural monitor was a lot of activity by kids in the channel," Tanaka said. "Because of the danger of the construction equipment, we wanted to let the community know to avoid that area."
Along with the newspaper ads, BWS sent flyers to area schools and spoke to various community groups, Tanaka said, including the Wai'anae Coast Neighborhood Board and Nanakuli Homestead Community Association.
The Ulehawa Channel work is scheduled to begin late this month and could last as long as four months, he said. The work is being done in summer because the water level in the channel is low.
The site will be fenced off during construction and a security guard will be present during daylight hours, according to the BWS.
Normally, any agency work that disrupts traffic is done at night, Tanaka said. But the Ulehawa Channel work will have no effect on motorists, so construction will be done in the daytime.
Still, Tanaka said, BWS went to the community to get its approval for the daytime work.
"Before we do any construction, we consult with the community," he said. "The community has been very receptive to it."
"It's a proactive, not reactive, approach," Aila said. "And the Board of Water Supply needs to be patted on the back for this. It's an attempt to change the way people do business."
Reach Will Hoover at 525-8038 or whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.
