"Doodoo Water"
When I was a kid growing up in Kailua, we never thought twice about swimming in the ocean in Kailua or Waimanalo. Today, brown water advisories are issued every time there is a storm, and too often sewage is released into the ocean. In the 1980s, sewage release into the ocean became a major issue in Kailua and Kaneohe Bays. A group of concerned citizens headed by Clara Olds, formed “Save Our Bays and Beaches.” In addition to directly challenging Mayor Fasi’s administration on what Kailua residents felt was his cavalier attitude about high fecal matter count in Kailua and Kaneohe Bays, Save Our Bays and Beaches, along with other groups, engaged in legal action against the city compelling a response. In addition, volunteers spray painted signs on many of the storm drains in our community reminding people not to dump their trash in the drains, because the storm water goes directly into the ocean.
Fast forward through four generations, this has continued to be an appalling problem on the windward side. In 2018, then Mayor Caldwell announced a massive $375 million upgrade to the Kailua Wastewater system, and yet, there has continued to be sewage spills after every rain and dangerously high fecal count even when it doesn’t rain. Many people I know have gotten staff infections from swimming our bay. Often we don’t find out there is a high fecal count that day or week until after people have been swimming, surfing and paddling. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on our sewage upgrades over decades, and nothing has changed.
Most recent high fecal counts include May 15 - May 23, 2024, June 1 - June 4, 2024, June 21 - June 24, 2024, July 12, 2024.
I hope this newest plan to install a disinfection system using ultraviolet light to curb high levels of bacteria by the end of 2025, more than a year and a half from now, makes an impact on this ongoing issue, but I remain skeptical. In the meantime, what can we do today and over the next year and a half to stop this high fecal count?
With all the technology available, it seems like we can do better for our sea life and ourselves. Besides looking to city administration and staff for more sustainable and effective solutions, I would bring together a panel of experts to come up with innovate solutions to sewage treatment and address water quality in our canals that go into the ocean.
Neighborhood Board Member Levani Lipton has done remarkable work in this area already. She has commissioned Researcher Sarah Lowry to do a study of the water at “Castles.” She has a petition with more than 600 signatures found here https://tinyurl.com/ydbktydb asking the mayor to add more personnel to clean storm drains in Kailua, so pollution doesn’t add to the problems in our canals and bay. Ensuring we have enough staff, and community volunteers to help address this problem, will be one of my top priorities.
We should also be looking at a more systematic, period clearance of the drain channel of Kaelepulou Pond. Iʻd also look into expanding the Genki ball program being used to clean the Ala Wai to clean our canals and add plants to our canals that naturally purify the water. In addition, the city needs to ensure that anyone building along the canals ensure they are using grading controls to keep sediment flows out of the system. The community can also come together with landowners to remove mangroves plants from the canals because they add to poor water quality. Some experts have also suggested keeping a partial ongoing flow from Kawainui Marsh to Kawainui Stream to prevent stagnation and opening the stream mouth once a month to assure a natural exchange of sea life between the bay and the estuary. These are all considerations.
I realize that the city administrators and workers are doing the best they can with this outdated system and low staffing. I look forward to learning about more and working with ENV and existing environmental groups to enhance and hopefully speed up the city’s response, action plan and communication with the public.
Fast forward through four generations, this has continued to be an appalling problem on the windward side. In 2018, then Mayor Caldwell announced a massive $375 million upgrade to the Kailua Wastewater system, and yet, there has continued to be sewage spills after every rain and dangerously high fecal count even when it doesn’t rain. Many people I know have gotten staff infections from swimming our bay. Often we don’t find out there is a high fecal count that day or week until after people have been swimming, surfing and paddling. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on our sewage upgrades over decades, and nothing has changed.
Most recent high fecal counts include May 15 - May 23, 2024, June 1 - June 4, 2024, June 21 - June 24, 2024, July 12, 2024.
I hope this newest plan to install a disinfection system using ultraviolet light to curb high levels of bacteria by the end of 2025, more than a year and a half from now, makes an impact on this ongoing issue, but I remain skeptical. In the meantime, what can we do today and over the next year and a half to stop this high fecal count?
With all the technology available, it seems like we can do better for our sea life and ourselves. Besides looking to city administration and staff for more sustainable and effective solutions, I would bring together a panel of experts to come up with innovate solutions to sewage treatment and address water quality in our canals that go into the ocean.
Neighborhood Board Member Levani Lipton has done remarkable work in this area already. She has commissioned Researcher Sarah Lowry to do a study of the water at “Castles.” She has a petition with more than 600 signatures found here https://tinyurl.com/ydbktydb asking the mayor to add more personnel to clean storm drains in Kailua, so pollution doesn’t add to the problems in our canals and bay. Ensuring we have enough staff, and community volunteers to help address this problem, will be one of my top priorities.
We should also be looking at a more systematic, period clearance of the drain channel of Kaelepulou Pond. Iʻd also look into expanding the Genki ball program being used to clean the Ala Wai to clean our canals and add plants to our canals that naturally purify the water. In addition, the city needs to ensure that anyone building along the canals ensure they are using grading controls to keep sediment flows out of the system. The community can also come together with landowners to remove mangroves plants from the canals because they add to poor water quality. Some experts have also suggested keeping a partial ongoing flow from Kawainui Marsh to Kawainui Stream to prevent stagnation and opening the stream mouth once a month to assure a natural exchange of sea life between the bay and the estuary. These are all considerations.
I realize that the city administrators and workers are doing the best they can with this outdated system and low staffing. I look forward to learning about more and working with ENV and existing environmental groups to enhance and hopefully speed up the city’s response, action plan and communication with the public.
