Question: Why does the city’s Department of Facility Maintenance need to apply for a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers to clear the Manoa-Palolo Stream? (Kokua Line, Sept. 27; 808ne.ws/92717kline). Isn’t the Corps of Engineers a federal agency?
Answer: Yes, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency, one that has regulatory oversight over waterways.
“Any person, firm, or agency (including federal, state, and local government agencies) planning to work in navigable waters of the United States, or discharge (dump, place, deposit) dredged or fill material in waters of the United States, including wetlands, must first obtain a permit from the Corps of Engineers. Permits, licenses, variances, or similar authorization may also be required by other federal, state and local statutes,” the Honolulu District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers explains on its website.
The corps derives this authority from the U.S. Rivers & Harbors Act of 1899 (Section 10) and, more broadly, the Clean Water Act of 1972 (Section 404).
Typically, “each activity affecting waters under USACE jurisdiction is required to submit and receive individual or Nationwide Permit authorization prior to commencement of the work,” said Ross Sasamura, director of the city’s Department of Facility Maintenance, which is responsible for maintaining the Manoa-Palolo Stream.
Back in the early 1900s, the corps’ granting of permits was meant to prevent navigational obstructions, but its authority later expanded to regulate the dumping of trash and sewage and the dredging and filling of “waters of the United States,” including many streams and wetlands, according to its website.
Preserving the natural environment is of great concern, especially in Hawaii, which has “only two-tenths of 1 percent of the United States’ total land area, but more than 25 percent of the entire nation’s endangered species,” the Honolulu District states. You can read more at www.poh.usace.army.mil/About.
Not a scam
Hawaiian Electric Co. has a new automated Trouble Line that can pinpoint a customer’s address, generate an outage report immediately and accommodate thousands of calls at once. The system recognizes the caller’s phone number to verify the the customer’s address.
For the Trouble Line to work properly, HECO needs accurate contact information for its customers. So the company is mailing out letters asking customers to update their contact information, including their phone numbers and email addresses.
These letters are legitimate; they are from HECO and not a scam. The first batch was mailed Tuesday, and the last will go out Nov. 14, a spokeswoman said. Upon receiving the letter, a customer can respond via the postage-paid reply form, by phone or online; instructions are in the mailer.
As for reporting problems with HECO electrical service, the new Trouble Line is 855-304-1212.
Auwe
Auwe to the driver in the blue car who changed lanes in the middle of an intersection to rush through a yellow light and then a minute later nearly hit a bicyclist in the King Street lane while turning left. Slow down! Use your mirrors! Thank God the bicyclist managed to swerve out of the way. The bicyclist was wearing a bright orange reflective vest, and the driver still didn’t see him — because he wasn’t even looking. — A reader
Mahalo
Mahalo to Kat of Times Supermarket Kahala for bringing three plate dinners and drinks to my car. I guess the whole load didn’t look very stable on my walker/rollator. Dinner made it home safely and was delicious. — E.Y.
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.
