Question: We were anchored at the Kaneohe sandbar and saw feces floating in the water. Who can I report this to? I have noticed more tour boats at the sandbar. Are they inspected to make sure they are using holding tanks? There were only two other private boats besides ours. It was pretty disgusting to see poop floating by not once, but six times.
Answer: State officials say what you likely saw was turtle poop, something that’s just part of nature and not a health concern.
If you believe it was human feces, you can report it to the state Department of Health and/or Coast Guard.
Both agencies have laws regarding the discharge of sewage, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which oversees the sandbar area. “No one can dump sewage within three miles of shore.”
All commercial operators in Kaneohe Bay use the “Pump a Head” at the Heeia Kea Small Boat Harbor to pump out their sewage each day, Ward explained.
Some vessels have portable toilets that can be emptied into a regular toilet when they return to shore, she said.
Having said that, officials with DLNR’s Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation say you most likely saw turtle feces, commonly seen in Kaneohe Bay and mistaken for human feces.
Here’s a 2008 story about turtle poop seen floating in Maalaea Harbor on Maui: is.gd/e3Z8ny.
Question: Whom do I contact about a potentially dangerous tree growing in someone’s yard? With the recent pruning, we are afraid of it falling one day. Our neighbor’s tree did.
Answer: Because of a state law passed in 2009, you can call Hawaii State Civil Defense at 733-4300, and it will look into the situation.
“State Civil Defense does look into hazards to public safety,” such as dangerous trees, said spokeswoman Shelly Kunishige.
We reported previously that the law gave the governor the discretion to order state employees, basically with Civil Defense, to go on private property in non-emergencies and take action, if needed, on dangerous trees, rocks and flood-prone streams.
Back in 2009 — archives.starbulletin.com/content/20091107_Preventing_danger — Civil Defense officials were looking to ask the Legislature to more specifically define the procedures and protocols in implementing the new law. However, Kunishige said the law, Section 128-10.3 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, has not changed from its original version.
The law is applicable to these specific situations: cutting, trimming or removing dangerous trees or branches that pose a hazard to other properties; stabilizing or removing unstable rock and soil hazards; or cleaning streams and waterways to mitigate or prevent flooding or other disasters.
The property owner has to be given “reasonable opportunity to mitigate the hazardous situation” before state employees may enter the property. If the state ends up having to take action, it may seek reimbursement of costs from the landowner.
Mahalo
To the Wahiawa driver’s license staff for their patience and kindness. I took my grandson, home from college during the Christmas break, for a walk-in road test last month. The line was already long at 7 a.m. I was certain I had all my car documents, but didn’t realize I only had my renewed insurance card, effective Jan. 2, 2014. The old one was in my car. Smiling, the clerk said, “Go get it,” and waited until I fetched it. She does this day after day but still can smile and be patient instead of saying, “Come back and stand in line again.” The second patience award goes to the road tester. At 3:30 p.m., after a long day in which the line was still out the door, he sent my grandson looking for me to again locate the proper documents, which I had returned to the glove compartment with all of 15 years of accumulated safety checks, receipts, etc. My happy grandson got his license, and the road tester was still smiling, telling me to throw away all the old stuff. God bless all the nice people in the world.
— Grandma Mary
———
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
