On Tuesday, the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation worked with the state Department of Transportation and the City and County of Honolulu to clean up the mud and debris that had collected in the Ala Wai Canal following heavy rains over the weekend.
In addition, the agencies are preparing for another episode of heavy rains that the National Weather Service is predicting for the rest of the week with flash flooding, high south to southwest winds and strong to severe thunderstorms preceding a cold front.
In an effort to reduce the amount of rubbish that flows into the canal following heavy rains, a DOBOR contractor worked to clear a “trash trap” located permanently at the outflow of the canal just beyond the Ala Moana Boulevard bridge at the entrance to Waikiki. The trap is used to keep trash from flowing into the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor and out into the ocean, but DOBOR Administrator Meghan Statts said the trap booms only catch about 20% of the debris.
On Wednesday, a temporary second trash trap was installed to divert any rubbish flowing down the canal into the permanent trap located on the opposite side of the Ala Moana Bridge.
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.
DOT officials were on-site Tuesday afternoon discussing mitigation measures that could be placed in the canal before the predicted rains begin. Additional measures were expected to be put in place by Wednesday morning.
State and county officials encourage people who live along the Ala Wai Canal, as well as along streams that flow into the canal, to secure items that could end up in the canal since weekend rains had carried large coolers and a variety of debris into the trash trap.
HDOT, DLNR, the University of Hawaii’s College of Engineering and area legislator Senator Sharon Moriwaki are discussing a long-term solution to the chronic problem of reducing trash buildup in the Ala Wai Canal, something that Statts said has been discussed for over 30 years.
Statts says “over the years, tons of debris have flowed out into the Pacific unchecked over the years.” This becomes a problem for boaters and recreational users of the Ala Wai Canal, the small boat harbor and the ocean.
When the Ala Wai Canal was built as a flood control measure, Statts says people probably thought little about the consequences of storm debris. “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.”
Editor’s note: The article has been updated with information on the second trash trap and the chronic problem of trash buildup. (January 30, 2025)
