Cleanups help reduce Waianae flooding

The community’s recent cleanups of trash, hundreds of tires and overgrowth from streambeds on the Wai­anae Coast improved stream flow during the recent storms in March, a state official said.

“There was very little ponding, and it looked like the stream flowed well,” said Steve Sigler, emergency operations planner at the state Civil Defense, during a town hall meeting Wednesday at Wai­anae District Park.

More than 50 people attended the presentation by officials from federal, state and city governments about efforts to reduce flooding in Wai­anae.

Sigler credited the community for continuing the efforts started by government agencies working together.

“This is what the community prevented over this past winter,” he said, showing a photo of a previously flooded street in Wai­anae. “Good job.”

He said businesses, students and volunteers recently finished cleanups of two areas. In November volunteers cleared a streambed near Paa­kea and Hakimo roads. In December and January, Puu­hulu Stream was cleaned near Puha­wai Road.

Jiro Sumada, deputy director of the city Department of Planning and Permitting, said a 2001 Army Corps of Engineers study found it would cost about $35 million for improvements to reduce flooding on the Waianae Coast.

State Rep. Jo Jordan (D, Wai­anae-Ma­kua), who helped organize the meeting, said it’s unlikely much money would be allotted for improvements any time soon, and instead, the community and government agencies would have to do it “piece by piece.”

Sumada said plans for reducing flooding have been divided into categories, depending on the length of time to complete the projects.

Some short-term projects have already begun, such as clearing the streams. Other plans include reminding private landowners who own portions of streams that it’s their responsibility to keep those areas clear of debris, and reaching out to the community to prevent illegal dumping.

Sumada said long-term plans were created so the flooding won’t return in a few years, after the short-term efforts are completed.

One long-term project is the construction of a culvert below Puha­wai Road because the current one is not large enough to handle water from a 100-year storm. He said $2 million has been alloted for that project, which is enough to get the project started but not to finish it.

John DeSoto, president of the Makaha Hawaiian Civic Club, said he attended to find out who owned the streams — whether public or private — so they could clean up the rubbish in it.

@:”If you don’t maintain it, then you going to win, but the people down the road are going to lose,” he said.