Funding for flood
alert system OK’d

Gov. Linda Lingle has released $75,000 in state matching funds for the design and installation of a flood warning system for Lake Wilson.

The federal government will pay for the other half of the $150,000 project. A joint agreement between State Civil Defense, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the U.S. Geological Survey Service was expected to be signed this week.

The U.S. Geological Survey Service will install equipment to monitor the water level in the lake, devices to record the discharge of water into Kaukonahua Stream, gauges to monitor the water flow in the north and south forks of the stream and a rain gauge to monitor rainfall. Installation is expected to be completed by the end of summer.

The system will provide advance information on impending floods that the National Weather Service can use to issue flood warnings. The information will also let Oahu Civil Defense and Honolulu police know when they need to evacuate residents living downstream.

In May 2002, a rain-swelled Lake Wilson caused flooding downstream, forcing the evacuation of 19 homes in the Otake Camp in Waialua.

State lawmakers approved the money for the warning system last year.