Upkeep halts at Sacred Falls

Lack of stream upkeep at Sacred Falls raises risks

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After a deadly rock slide closed Sacred Falls Park in 1999, maintenance of the stream running through the park has virtually stopped, area residents and their state senator say.

Overgrown brush and trees and sediment buildup in and around Kaluanui Stream is causing it to jump its banks more often during heavy rain, leading to more frequent flooding in the Hauula neighborhoods surrounding the park and a greater risk of danger and property loss.

"You've got to know Sacred Falls to understand the kind of water we're talking about," state Sen. Clayton Hee said. "It's just an overwhelming, indescribable force of nature."

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Ten-year-old Rainbow Ulii remembered when floodwaters crept closer to her Hauula home in January.

"The scary part was that I thought we were going to lose our house," Rainbow said just before a state Highways Division crew was getting ready to clear sand that had built up below the Waimanana Stream bridge along Kamehameha Highway.

Sand buildup blocking the bridge is just one of the factors leading to flooding in the area during heavy rain.

Residents also point to a lack of maintenance of Kaluanui Stream, the waterway that runs through Sacred Falls Park, since the park closed in 1999.

"Definitely much worse," said Steve Daugherty, president of the Hauula Beach Homes. "Never had this problem in the past."

Eight people were killed in the Mother's Day 1999 rock slide at Sacred Falls and the park has never reopened.

About a quarter-mile mauka of the highway, Sen. Clayton Hee cleared brush to hike to a section of Kaluanui Stream that takes a 90-degree turn on its way to the ocean.

"The water during torrential rains comes down this way, bangs into this berm and overflows this way," Hee said, pointing north toward Hauula. "We're talking about hundreds of millions of gallons of water."

Hee said that when Waimanana Stream is backed up at the bridge and the banks of the nearby Kaluanui Stream overflow, "that's why this community gets flooded."

Hee said he remembers years ago when he used to ride his horse in the area and could see the stream from the trail leading to the falls.

Now, tall grass, towering trees and built-up sediment not only block the view of the stream but also slightly dam a portion of the river, diverting its path.

"Once Sacred Falls Park closed, the state stopped maintaining the stream," Hee said, pointing to a tree that appeared to be growing within the stream bed.

"When the trees grow like this and soil accretes around the tree, it forces the river to go this way," Hee said. "That's the nature of nature."

Robert Custino, Highways Division construction and maintenance superintendent, said it's a constant struggle with Mother Nature to keep the stream mouth clear.

"It's just part of our job," he said. "But we understand the emotional side of the residents."

Besides better maintenance, Hee advocates a stronger berm at the 90-degree bend in the stream "to force the water back to its natural path," adding, "We're not talking about one truckload, we're talking about a lot of soil and rocks."

Attempts to obtain a statement on the issue from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources were unsuccessful yesterday.

Hee, who will chair the Senate Committee on Water and Land, said he will work with the department to make sure there is adequate funding for stream maintenance.

But the Sacred Falls stream is not the only problem for Hauula.

Yesterday, residents watched as a small bulldozer removed sand from under the Waimanana Stream bridge near Pokiwai Place.

"During the heavy rains, (the water) has to get out from under the bridge," Daugherty said.

In January, when floodwaters were moving closer to their homes, nearly every resident of the 40-home subdivision was out shoveling sand in the rain to get the stream water to flow out.

The area was also hit hard last year during 40 days of rain.