Posted at 12:32 p.m., Friday, December 21, 2007
Kauai salt makers say ponds in Hanapepe threatened
Associated Press
HANAPEPE, Hawai'i — Kaua'i salt makers say development surrounding salt patches in Hanapepe threatens the quality and quantity of their product — and a unique Hawaiian tradition.Hanapepe is home to the state's only natural salt ponds still used today to make sea salt in the same fashion as ancient Hawaiians.
But salt maker Kuulei Santos says an area between a nearby parking lot and beach was filled with old asphalt, disrupting the drainage of water to the beds.
State Rep. Roland Sagum, D-16th (Ni'ihau, Lehua, Waimea), met this week with more than two dozen residents concerned with the state of the ponds.
He brought two other lawmakers from the House Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs Committee with him so they could learn about the issue.
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Information from: The Garden Island, www.kauaiworld.com/
