Regattas canceled
after spill of sewageSome 2,050 gallons of waste water
winds up in Keehi Lagoon
About 2,000 canoe-paddling youths had to skip scheduled regattas yesterday after a sewage spill into Kalihi Stream contaminated Keehi Lagoon.
"We got down there about 6:30 a.m. and there were signs along the waterfront saying that people should not go in the water," said Joan Malama, Oahu Canoe Racing Association second vice president.
Organizers canceled both a morning regatta for Na Opio Canoe Racing Association (for grades 5-12) and an afternoon regatta for the Oahu Interscholastic Association (high school paddlers), Malama said.
"We didn't want to put them at risk," she said.
The regattas won't be rescheduled, Malama said, because islandwide championships are set for next weekend.
Grease and debris clogging a sewer line caused 2,050 gallons of sewage to spew out of a manhole at 1260 Richard Lane and into Kalihi Stream between 4:45 and 6:15 p.m. Friday, the city said in a release about the incident.
City workers stopped the spill, disinfected and deodorized the immediate area and posted signs. The state Health Department was notified of the spill.