In the aftermath of Monday’s sewage spill near Ala Moana Beach Park, water quality samples taken Wednesday mark an improvement in areas where warning signs are posted in Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, Kewalo Basin, the canoe launch area adjacent to Ala Wai harbor, the pond and canal along Ala Moana Boulevard, and the west end of Kakaako Waterfront Park. 

But the state Department of Heath’s Clean Water Branch is not authorizing removal of advisory or warning signs. Water quality testing within the impaired areas will continue, according to a DOH news release. 

The public is advised to avoid entering these waters until warning signs are removed and the DOH provides a notification that water quality in both harbors and on the west end of Kakaako Waterfront Park have returned to normal. 

Surfers and boat users are advised that offshore waters may continue to be impacted by polluted storm water, particularly near harbor entrances. 

In addition, the state remains under a brown water advisory due to the recent rain events. Not all waters may be affected, however if the water is brown, stay out, DOH officials advise.

Ala Moana Beach Park and Waikiki Beach, which were closed Monday, reopened Wednesday after test results indicated near-shore waters had not been affected by sewage gushing into the ocean during Monday’s rainstorm. 

After initially estimating that 500,000 gallons of sewage drained into the ocean, city officials revised that figure to 129,000 gallons on Wednesday. 

City officials said Tuesday that a key pump station that should have been running during heavy rain on Monday morning was inoperable because the contractor in a major construction project at a Keawe Street pump station left the facility offline. 

Without the station working, the sewer system was overwhelmed by heavy rain. The back-flow ended up escaping through manholes at the intersection of Atkinson Drive and Ala Moana Boulevard, entering the ocean through storm drains. 

On Monday and Tuesday, officials conducted water testing of bacteria levels and physical parameters such as salinity at 23 locations, from Kakaako Waterfront Park to the end of Waikiki. 

While the testing cleared Ala Moana and Waikiki, results indicated that waters in Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, Kewalo Basin, the canoe launch area, the pond and canal along Ala Moana Boulevard, and the western end of the Kakaako park were still affected by the spill.