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Kokua Line
Question: I live on Ulupii Street in Pohakupu in Kailua and noticed a horrible smell coming from either Enchanted Lake or a pig farm or somewhere from Waimanalo. It was nauseating and due to my asthma, was making me sicker. What could it be? I noticed this same thing happened last year. Could it be from Kaelepulu Stream? What’s the mystery
odor in Kailua?Answer: We called the state Department of Health's Clean Air Branch for help in tracking down the source.
Environmental health specialist Susan Kihara drove through the entire Kailua area last Friday, but couldn't detect anything that odoriferous.
She didn't know what pig farms you were referring to, but said if they were the source, the odors would tend to be constant rather than fleeting.
She speculated the smell may have come from Enchanted Lake. About once a year, sedimentation can build up, allowing algae to grow. When that algae decomposes, unpleasant odors can result, Kihara said.
But no one else had complained to either her office, or the other offices she contacted, she said.
Kihara said she found out from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources that the lake is privately owned by Bishop Estate and the Enchanted Lake Residents Association, while the city owns most of Kaelepulu Stream.
If you detect the odors again, she suggested calling the city complaints office at 523-4381, or call Bishop Estate.
More on disabled parking
Yesterday's column profiled the Honolulu Police Department's specially-commissioned civilian officers who monitor usage of the city's disabled-parking stalls. Today, we'll take a look at the scope of the problem.
According to statistics provided by Sgt. Bart Canada, HPD's coordinator of disabled parking enforcement, 2,208 citations from eight Oahu districts were issued in 1998, when the volunteer program was still a pilot project.
A total of 2,080 citations were issued for the last seven months in 1999 (beginning June 1 of that year, when the civilian monitoring program was made permanent). From January to May 2000, 1,248 citations were issued.
Volunteers have been averaging five warnings for every citation so far this year, Canada said.
He noted that the number of citations issued depends a lot on volunteers. For example, in 1998, 727 were issued in the Pearl City/Kapolei district, compared to 307 in Central Honolulu and 396 in Waikiki. For the first five months of this year, the figures were 238 in Central Honolulu; 273, in Pearl City/Kapolei; and 210, Waikiki.
Also, Canada notes that HPD will mail citations to people who refuse to accept them at the scene or get into confrontations with the volunteer monitors. He emphasized that the volunteers have full authority to issue citations and any assault on them is tantamount to assaulting an officer.
People who misuse their placards -- allowing family or friends to use them, for example -- could face losing them for a year.
Mahalo
About 8:30 a.m. June 14, my daughter, a triathlete who trains daily, was riding her bike on Kamehameha Highway in Kaneohe when she was hit by a car. Immediately, Rana, Sha, Steve and passersby offered assistance. They made her as comfortable as they could and gave her moral support while waiting for the ambulance. They used their cell phone to call me. THANK YOU, all, for helping my daughter. I am overwhelmed. God bless you all. -- Val Mata
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com
