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Water Ways Ray Pendleton |
Planners worry about
possible massive floodAnyone following the news on Oahu lately must have noticed that the state, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is investigating the feasibility of a massive flood control project for the Ala Wai Watershed.
The combined agencies, with assistance from Townscape, Inc. -- an environmental planning company -- held a meeting at the Convention Center last week to outline the scope of their plans and to hear the public's views and, when possible, answer their concerns.
The apparent catalyst for the project, coming just a year after the Ala Wai Canal's long overdue dredging, are the agencies' fears of the effects of a 100-year flood to the communities of Moiliili, McCully and Waikiki.
They estimate that such a flood (with a one-percent chance of occurring on any given year) -- as the product of intense rain over the watershed's 11,069-acre area -- would produce flooding to the depth of three to five feet and cause some $175 million in damage.
And, that figure doesn't take into account lost business and personal income during the recovery from such a flood.
To protect the threatened communities, the agencies are offering several preliminary proposals for consideration: dredging the canal deeper, erecting 11 to 13-foot-high flood walls around the canal, modifying bridges, providing flood detention basins and widening the lower section of the canal.
The project also calls for ecosystem restoration features in the upper reaches of the watershed.
Among these proposals are: stream channel modifications, re-vegetation, stream bank stabilization, check-dams, debris catchments, energy dissipation features and enhancement of maintenance accessibility.
Naturally, there are no guarantees this project will be funded or become a reality.
The agencies expect to have a final feasibility study completed by early 2006 and a recommendation to congress for funding in 2007.
Nevertheless, a few thoughts come to mind.
Considering the amount of protest the Haseko Corporation has received over its building a high wall in Ewa Beach that blocks its neighbors' view, one wonders at the public's reaction to a similar feature along the banks of the Ala Wai.
Will it be willing to accept such a visual obstruction, even though there's a 99-percent chance there will be no need for such massive protection in any particular year?
Similarly, will the public be receptive of any attempt to widen the canal from the McCully bridge to the Ala Moana bridge by eliminating at least half of the present promenade to the rear of the Convention Center?
And what about the Ala Wai boat harbor? With an estimated 100-year flood flow of 22,900 cubic feet per second, the canal would be like a gigantic fire hose aimed at that multimillion-dollar marina.
There are also the monetary costs of the project to consider. Even though the lion's share would be picked up by the federal government, it still comes out of the taxpayers' pocket.
I have been told by city administrators elsewhere that while providing for the public's safety is important, there are financial realities involved.
"A case in point," one told me, "is fire and police protection. Optimum coverage would be having them on every corner, but we can't afford it any more than we can afford to build the infrastructure for a 100-year flood."
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Ray Pendleton is a free-lance writer based in Honolulu.
His column runs Saturdays in the Star-Bulletin.
He can be reached by e-mail at raypendleton@mac.com.