[ OUR OPINION ]
Care needed to keep
runoff out of oceanUNUSUALLY heavy rain obviously contributed to the flow of mud and sediment into the ocean on the North Shore where a 19-acre subdivision is being constructed, but it appears that the project's developer and contractor had not taken adequate steps to prevent such problems.
THE ISSUE
Muddy water and sediment flowing into the ocean has drawn complaints about a North Shore housing project.
Given the friction that the project had generated when it was proposed, sufficient precautions should have been in place. The incident only heightens the public's perception that developers disregard environmental concerns. Moreover, the runoff blemishes the ocean and shoreline and harms marine life, an economic issue brought into focus by a study released this week.
During intense rain storms last weekend, streams of muddy water flowed off the construction site of a gated residential project at Kaunala Bay near the popular Velzyland surf spot. State and city officials inspected the area after the Sierra Club and a North Shore resident who surfs there complained that runoff had flowed into the ocean and over a nearby reef.
Project developer D.G. "Andy" Anderson denied that the mud flows came from the subdivision as did Leonard Leong of Royal Contracting Co. Ltd. Leong contended that the mud flowed from a hillside mauka of the site and from natural drainage, but acknowledged that silt fences may have been damaged by the rain and were being repaired.
However, a state official said there was evidence that runoff came from the site's road and its storm drain system without proper prevention to block silt. Officials had issued the project warnings for similar problems in May and said that contractors had done work on a storm drain and road before obtaining proper permits.
The project drew opposition when it was proposed two years ago because residents had hoped that the land would be used for a park, but the city could not afford the $11 million price tag. The community was afraid that the gated subdivision would deny them access to the beach and surf spot while the city and state were concerned that the project's setback from the ocean would be inadequate because of shoreline erosion.
The developer appropriately promised the city land for a parking lot and path to the beach, but the public attention should have cued him to proceed conscientiously. More importantly, developers have an obligation, like all members of the community, to protect Hawaii's ocean resources, which a study by the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative Research Program valued at $364 million a year to the state's economy.
In denying the project was responsible for the runoff, Anderson said, "I don't think we did much polluting." There should have been none at all.
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Hearty praise goes
to isle filmmakerCONGRATULATIONS go to Vilsoni Hereniko whose film will make its world premiere at the celebrated Sundance Film Festival in January. He does his adopted island home proud. "The Land Has Eyes" was written and directed by the Hawaii resident who is a professor at the Center for Pacific Island Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The film is a family affair, having been co-produced by his wife, Jeannette Paulson Hereniko, founder of the Hawaii International Film Festival.
THE ISSUE
A University of Hawaii professor will head to Utah next year for the premiere screening of his work at the Sundance Film Festival.
The screening of the 90-minute movie is of further note because it is the first feature film by an indigenous Fijian filmmaker to be shown at the prestigious festival that has nurtured cinematic neophytes who have become big names in Hollywood, among them Edward Burns, Ashley Judd, Vin Diesel, Quentin Tarantino and Stanley Tucci.
Hereniko is a prolific playwright with a long string of titles and productions to his credit and has written short stories and children's books as well as scholarly works for journals, magazines and textbooks.
"The Land Has Eyes," made on a shoestring budget with grants from Pacific Islanders in Communications, was filmed on Rotuma, Fiji, where Hereniko grew up as the youngest of 11 children. It tells the story of a young woman who exposes the secrets of powerful people in her search for justice and to restore her family's name.
Like many film festivals, Sundance, founded by Robert Redford, provides a venue for movies that ordinarily would not receive any attention as the mainstream of blockbusters, titanic epics and action-star vehicles crowd commercial screens. Sundance's Native Forum segment offers viewpoints from other cultures, much as the Hawaii International Film Festival.
We wish Hereniko well as he heads for Utah next year.
