Top-rated Kailua beach now disappoints

Many say they are frustrated by spills and contamination

Some residents and tourists are frustrated they cannot use Kailua Beach Park due to recent sewage spills.

"We hate the poo. The poo is bad," said Kailua resident Ruth Hendrix, who sat on the sand with two friends watching a dog play on the park's shoreline yesterday.

Warning signs remain posted at the beach park, along with other beaches on the Windward Coast, because of multiple sewage spills from heavy rains that overwhelmed the city's sewage system last month.

Thousands of gallons of raw sewage spewed into the ocean from manholes at Enchanted Lake and the Waimanalo Wastewater Treatment Plant, affecting beaches such as Bellows, Waimanalo Beach Park and Kailua Beach Park.

"We are frustrated as well because of the spills," said Ross Tanimoto, head of the Department of Environmental Services' monitoring and compliance branch.

The Waimanalo Wastewater Treatment Plant, which spilled sewage at least three times last month, is to undergo a capacity upgrade to its injection wells where sewage is discharged. The upgrade will be from 0.7 million gallons to 1.2 million gallons. The wells' capacity has diminished over the years, Tanimoto said. The treatment plant serves a majority of Waimanalo residents.

Kailua Beach Park, often rated as one of the best beaches in the world at Internet sites and in magazines, was much quieter than usual yesterday because of the posted warning signs and brown water.

"God has a sense of humor. We got the sun back, but we can't swim in the water," said Hendrix, who moved to Hawaii from California two years ago.

Ever since she moved to Hawaii, she said, sewage spills have been a common occurrence when heavy rains come.

"Everybody in my neighborhood is complaining," said Hendrix, who normally swims at the beach. "We're not getting our exercise."

Kailua Beach Park Lifeguard Zion Thompson said two of his friends -- one who recently swam at Waimanalo Beach Park and another who recently swam at Kailua Beach Park -- both suffered from diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. "It's not worth the risk," Thompson said.

He empathized with tourists who are anxious to swim in isle waters. "They have nowhere to go," Thompson said. "I feel bad for them. But at the same time, why take the risk of their kids getting sick?"

Marcus Howard, who returns to San Francisco today, drove to Kailua Beach Park with his family yesterday after reading in a magazine that it was one of the top-rated beaches in the world. "That's why I came here," Howard said.

Howard rented a car to drive to the beach park with his wife, Nigist Tilahua, and their year-old son, Emanuel, and was met with the same signs that prevented them from entering the waters in Waikiki earlier this week. "I don't know where it's safe," Howard said as he sat on the sand. "I'm really disappointed."

Kailua residents Alan and Louise Haffer, who walk along the shoreline daily, said the normally busy waters were empty. "Usually there's windsurfers and kayakers," Louise Haffer said. "This (place) is usually loaded with tourists."

The couple said they observed dead fish and plant life that washed ashore.

This is a wake-up call, said Melody Heidel, who oversees the Blue Water Campaign for the Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter.

"We need to address the state of the sewage lines and be concerned of the health of the ocean and residents," Heidel said.