KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM Workers using heavy equipment pulled up sludge from the Ala Wai Canal yesterday as a 10-month dredging project began. The state warns residents to avoid the water during the project.

Public urged to avoid
Ala Wai Canal water

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Star-Bulletin staff

People should avoid contact with the water in the Ala Wai Canal while it is being dredged, a state official said.

The 10-month dredging project began yesterday between the Ala Moana Boulevard and McCully Street bridges.

Dredging creates higher bacteria levels in the water, which increases the chance of being infected with diseases such as leptospirosis, said Michael Markrich, spokesman for the Department of Land & Natural Resources. Leptospirosis is transmitted to humans through fresh water that has been contaminated with animal urine.

"We already know that the water is polluted there, and dredging stirs up the sediment and increases the concentration of pollutants," said Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health.

Pollutants in the canal include toxic metals and microorganisms that can lead to water-borne illnesses. "Those are just a few things that have been identified in past assessments," Okubo said.

Individuals with open cuts or scratches are especially warned to stay away from the water, Markrich said. Paddlers or boaters are recommended to wash immediately with soap and water after leaving the canal.

The Ala Wai Canal is a holding basin for sediment washed into it by streams and other sources of runoff, according to Markrich.