Posted on: Sunday, November 14, 2004
Salt Lake dredging project kicks off phase two tomorrow
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
The second phase of a $700,000 Salt Lake dredging project will begin tomorrow to remove the accumulated sediment, vegetation and debris on the Likini Street side of the waterway.
Phase one of the dredging, covering the portion along Ala Napunani Street to the outlet channel, was completed last year. The waterway has been dredged to a depth of 3 feet.
Phase two will extend into the waterway along Likini Street toward Salt Lake Elementary School, and the final phase will include the main lake.
Grant Tanimoto, chairman of the Aliamanu/Salt Lake/Foster Village Neighborhood Board, said the project will not only clean pollutants, but help make it safer for residents in case of flooding.
"We don't want to end up like Manoa," Tanimoto said. "Last time the big rains hit it flooded the golf course."
Salt Lake is the drainage basin for much of the area. Mapunapuna, Moanalua, Salt Lake and Foster Village were declared a disaster area last year after heavy rains caused millions of dollars in damage. Homes and the University of Hawai'i-Manoa were flooded last month when Manoa Stream overflowed during heavy rains.
Tim Steinberger, director of the city Department of Design and Construction, said the dredging started as a vision team project.
"Residents were complaining about odors, and a lot of that is because the water is somewhat stagnant over there," Steinberger said. "You've got a lot of vegetation that dies and as it decays it goes anaerobic in the water and it smells. We are cleaning that out."
Steinberger said a $97,000 grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to the University of Hawai'i will be used to place 'akulikuli plants in the waterway along Ala Napunani Street to absorb nutrients and heavy metals from the water and sediment. The plants will also discourage algae growth.
Tanimoto said overflowing wastewater from Aliamanu Military Reservation during heavy rains, along with runoff from 17 city storm drains, brings gravel, grease and other debris into the waterway and has added to the pollution problem.
Oceanit has been hired by the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a $200,000 sediment study of the Salt Lake drainage basin, Steinberger said.
"They will be looking at the entire area to find out exactly who is contributing what and what is actually being put into Salt Lake," Steinberger said. "We are going to take a much bigger look at the whole basin."
Dredging work on phase two is scheduled to be completed by mid-September 2005. RI Namba is the contractor. Work will be done between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays except holidays. There may be some noise and additional smells during construction.
"There are going to be some short-term impacts, but in the long term it is something that is going to benefit them and the community generally," Tanimoto said. "The Manoa flooding situation is on people's minds. It has to be done."
Reach James Gonser at 535-2431 or jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com.
