Cleanup underway after heavy rain, runoff turn Ala Wai harbor into dump site

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – State crews and volunteers are clearing debris from the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor after the weekend’s heavy rains triggered runoff from Makiki, Palolo and Manoa streams.
Those waterways have been littered with illegally dumped items, such as appliances and landscaping waste ― all of which are now collecting at the harbor, creating a hazard for swimmers, surfers and boaters.
“There’s been a bunch of debris in the harbor that’s been really, really bad for a little while, and I’ve been constantly trying to clean it up. But then after this rain, surplus amounts of it came out of the river and it definitely creates some obstacles getting in and out of the channel,” said boat captain Daniel Kalahele.
Kalahele said he and fellow boaters have to “navigate in and around larger floating debris, like logs and tree stumps. There was a couch the other day. It definitely creates a lot of turmoil there, especially if there is oncoming traffic or boaters coming the opposite direction.”
Ray Machado, a fishing boat deckhand, said the consequences are costly. “If we hit a log and it bends a prop, that’s going to cost maybe $20,000 because the boat’s got to come out of the water. The prop is gonna cost $10,000. I think it’s $400, $500 a day to be on the dry dock so that’s an expensive oops.”
Sof Hanson, a Waikiki Yacht Club member, said he’s been working with club employees to clear the water of larger pieces of debris.
“We started yesterday, but the current was really strong at the Ala Wai and so we just couldn’t get anything out,” he said. “We were just trying to pull some of the debris out, and then there’s some some garbage, obviously, washing machines. We’re going to… throw in our dumpster.”
State crews removed trash and debris from the finger piers Monday morning. Then on Tuesday, a contractor will use an excavator to clear large piles and tree trunks from the mouth of the canal.
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