Honolulu, Waikiki Ala Wai Canal Now Open Sewer

Continuing repairs to a major sewer line through Waikiki means millions of

gallons of raw sewage are being pumped into the Honolulu Ala Wai Canal

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Millions of gallons of untreated sewage have poured into the Ala Wai Canal since Friday, and the city expects to pump in millions more over the next four to seven days — the time it will take crews to repair a major sewer-main rupture.

While the sewage poses an environmental and health concern, pumping it into the canal is the only way to prevent the waste from backing up into Waikiki homes, hotels and businesses, city officials said yesterday.

"We really have no other alternative," The Mayor said. "This is the most challenging main break that the city has faced in a number of years. We don't have an easy fix."

The breaks in the line on Kai'olu Street appear to have been caused by a combination of the very heavy flow of rainwater into the sewage system and the settling problems of an aging sewer line, said Eric Takamura, director of the city Department of Environmental Services.

Complications included rain that kept filling the area around the cracked 42-inch concrete pipe and the need to work around underground utilities, Hannemann said.

The pressurized sewer line was built in 1964 to carry raw sewage from the Beachwalk Wastewater Pumping Station toward the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant. The line carries most of the sewage generated in Waikiki, Manoa and Mo'ili'ili — about 15 million gallons each day, city officials said.

Hannemann said city officials remain in constant communication with the state Health Department, helping monitor water quality and currents. He said no signs were posted to warn people out of the waters off Waikiki beaches because the current was taking the flow out of the canal in the opposite direction.

Surfers are warned to avoid Ala Moana Bowls, Rock Pile and In Betweens because the current clips those surf spots near the mouth of the canal before skirting Magic Island and making its way toward the airport.

Chris Ball, president of the Hawaii Canoe & Kayak Team, said all of his crews are staying out of the Ala Wai until they get the word that it's safe to go back in.

"We have practice every day, but we've suspended practice until the signs are down and it's OK to paddle in there," Ball said.

Ball said he believes most teams are steering clear of the water until officials give the go-ahead.

"There were a few canoes in the Ala Wai on Saturday," he said, adding that he didn't see any yesterday morning.

"We've got a lot of little kids," Ball said. "Sometimes they flip and fall out of the kayaks, and we don't want them in that water."

Takamura, the city's environmental services director, said it's difficult to measure exactly how many millions of gallons continue to flow into the Ala Wai because the sewage is not pumped through a station where it would be measured.

Instead, Takamura said, the untreated effluent is being pumped from the pipes into the Ala Wai in at least six places.