The Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship regatta will be held as originally planned on Saturday at Keehi Lagoon, according to multiple sources.

Thousands of paddlers across the state had been awaiting a decision from the state’s outrigger canoe racing governing body less than two weeks after the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association canceled its championship regatta due to high levels of bacteria and garbage in Keehi Lagoon. The lagoon had been inundated with storm runoff from Tropical Storm Darby as well as a flotilla of trash and debris, including a couch, refrigerator and two floating shacks constructed at a large homeless encampment upstream of the lagoon.

According to a statement released late Wednesday evening by the HCRA Board of Directors, the State Department of Health has yet to give the “all clear” following the earlier brown-water advisory. However, the statement said, “the testing is showing much improvement to the water quality and barring any other unforeseen circumstances, HCRA intends to hold the (state championships) as scheduled.”

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to post signage along the Keehi shoreline advising the community of the possible water quality issues. The HCRA is “strongly recommending” that boat holders, who usually tread water before the race and steady canoes to keep them from drifting, not be used. Rinse stations also will be set up and the customary first-aid station will also be available on Saturday.

Multiple sources told the Star-Advertiser that some clubs have or plan to withdraw from the state championships due to concerns over whether the water was safe enough to compete in.