DLNR News Release-Additional Debris Trap Installed in Ala Wai Canal in Advance of Severe Weather, Jan. 29, 2025

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES

KA ʻOIHANA KUMUWAIWAI ‘ĀINA

 

JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

 

DAWN CHANG

CHAIR

 

ADDITIONAL DEBRIS TRAP INSTALLED IN ALA WAI CANAL IN ADVANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 29, 2025

HONOLULU – Installation of a temporary debris boom in advance of incoming severe weather was completed this afternoon by Hawaiian Dredging Co., on contract to the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).

Working with the state Dept. of Transportation (HDOT), the City and County of Honolulu, and Senator Sharon Moriwaki, this second debris trap is intended to divert any rubbish flowing down the canal into the permanent trap on the opposite side of the Ala Moana Bridge.

Meghan Statts, administrator of the DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR), along with Dickey Lee from the DLNR Engineering Division, observed the deployment of the floating curtain (boom). Statts said, “We are trying to mitigate some of the debris coming down the canal with the big storm that’s predicted to hit us shortly.”

The trap will augment the work being done upstream by HDOT. “HDOT has been a great partner,” said Statts. “They were up here earlier, yesterday and today, doing cleanup.”

Statts said the issue of post-storm debris in the Ala Wai canal has been discussed for more than 30 years. DLNR is working closely with other agencies and Senator Moriwaki to create a long-term solution to the chronic, reccurring problem.

The permanent DOBOR trap was cleared yesterday and only catches 20-25% of what flows downstream. It was fortified this morning with the expectation that additional debris diverted by the second trap will possibly fill it faster than normal.

“We’re trying to catch as much as we can to help protect our natural resources and keep it out of the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor and the ocean,” Statts explained. Unfortunately, over the years tons of debris have flowed out into the Pacific unchecked, she said.

That creates potential navigational problems for boaters and recreational users of the Ala Wai canal, the small boat harbor and the ocean. When full of natural vegetation and manmade rubbish, the canal is also unsafe for people during storm runoff events.

The Hawai‘i Department of Health advises the public to stay out of waters when they appear brown, murky, or contain visible debris, especially following storms or heavy rain when the water may contain higher-than-normal pollutant levels. Entering freshwater streams, canals or ponds increases the risk of bacterial infections, including leptospirosis.

Statts concluded that when the Ala Wai canal was built as a flood control measure, people probably didn’t think much about the consequences of storm debris. She encourages people not to  throw trash into the canal or any of its tributary streams.

“I think people need to remember that if you have trash, any kind of ‘ōpala, throw it away properly. Don’t drop it into streams or the canal because much of this stuff ends up in the ocean.”

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RESOURCES

(All images/video courtesy: DLNR)

HD video – Debris trap deployment (Jan. 29, 2025):

(Meghan Statts SOTS transcript attached)

HD video – Ala Wai debris trap clearing (Jan. 28, 2925):

Photographs – Debris trap deployment (Jan. 29, 2025):

(Images 5722-5809)

Photographs – Ala Wai debris trap clearing (Jan. 28, 2025):

(Images 5667-5715)

For more information on brown water pollution and health:

Media contact:

Dan Dennison

Communications Director

Hawai‘i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources

Phone: 808-587-0396