CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Ala Wai Canal just makai of the Ala Moana Boulevard bridge was choked with muck and debris yesterday. A cleanup of the Ala Wai Boat Harbor begins today.
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Cleanup begins today at bridge
Ala Wai Boat Harbor: Debris is stuck after 50 million gallons of sewage went into canal
Workers in protective gear will begin cleaning the sewage-polluted Ala Wai Boat Harbor today, under a $50,000 state contract.
About 50 million gallons of sewage spilled into the Ala Wai Canal, which feeds the harbor, last month after a 42-inch Waikiki sewer main break.
Private contractor Pacific Environmental Corp., or PENCO, was hired to conduct the two-day cleanup, said Clifford Inn, a state Department of Land and Natural Resources spokesman. Workers will clear debris and spray disinfectant.
Today's cleanup will focus on manually removing material in the Ala Wai debris trap at the base of the Ala Moana bridge over the canal.
On Monday the cleanup will move into the harbor, focusing on the front row of moorings at the harbor fronting the Hawaii Prince Hotel and other trouble spots.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Trash and other debris littered a portion of the Ala Wai Canal yesterday. A cleanup of the boat harbor starts today.
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Oliver Johnson, a 34-year-old mortgage broker, died April 6 from a bacterial infection after falling or being pushed into the sewage-contaminated Ala Wai Harbor on March 31.
In a news release, Peter Young, director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, said the project is being undertaken to "ensure the health and well-being of all residents and users of the Ala Wai Harbor area."
Young said the size of the cleanup required consultation with the city and the Department of Health.
"Biological hazardous waste removal/treatment is not commonly done in the islands on this scale," Young said.
The cost of the project will be paid out of the Boating Special Fund.
Inn said the department has cleaned the debris trap four times since heavy rainstorms began on Feb. 19, spending about $24,000 on private contractors. The trap is normally cleaned three to four times a year.
The department is also asking for $60,000 to clean up debris in the Ala Wai Canal and has requested additional funding for debris cleanup at other harbors and state waters.
An additional $75,000 will be spent filling potholes at the parking lots of five harbors on Oahu.
