Waimanalo project
gets $25K for
pollution study

Preteens will care for an organic
garden and study the effects of
runoff on the watershed

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By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.com

Six years after it was created, the Kailua Bay Advisory Council has awarded its first contract for pollution prevention to a program for Waimanalo preteens who will plant an organic garden of Hawaiian foods.

Hui Malama O Ke Kai, or "the group that takes care of the ocean," is entering its fourth year of offering after-school activities for 9- to 11-year-olds from Pope and Waimanalo elementary schools, program staffer Stephanie Kim said.

The program emphasizes traditional Hawaiian practices of caring for the ahupuaa, the land division that runs from the mountains to the sea. They also are active in beach and stream cleanups and other environmentally friendly projects, Kim said.

The $25,000 contract will enable Hui Malama to plant a 1.5-acre garden on Waimanalo land provided by the University of Hawaii. Organic gardener Kimberly Clark will help, and adult members of the community will be encouraged to participate with their children.

About 40 youngsters will grow Hawaiian food plants, which they will harvest and eat. They also will study how to limit the effects of runoff from farming on the health of the watershed, Kim said.

Council Director Maile Bay said she hopes to complete negotiations with other individuals or groups that submitted proposals for improving Windward water quality by the end of the year. As many as 12 contracts could be awarded over the coming year, she said.

One of those potential contracts is headed by UH microbiologist Maqs Alam, who would like to train high school students to assist in sample collection of area waters and testing for DNA "fingerprinting" of unwanted bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella and staphylococcus.

Council member Mark Heckman said the testing will allow the council to be alerted of potential problems and to call the city or state for additional testing about the extent of contamination.

Another UH professor, Carl Evensen, spoke about the HAPPI (Hawaii Pollution Prevention Information) Project, which has information available at its Web site -- www2.ctahr.hawaii.edu/wq/HAPPI -- on how residents and farmers can reduce their contribution to runoff pollution.

A 1995 consent decree created the all-volunteer council to improve water quality in Windward Oahu, in response to a 1992 lawsuit against the city alleging violations of the federal Clean Water Act. Plaintiffs were the Sierra Club, Hawaii's Thousand Friends, Save Our Bays and Beaches, and Surfrider Foundation.

The council is mandated to distribute $3.1 million provided by the city for programs and projects to improve water quality in Waimanalo, Kailua and Kaneohe.