Da U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wen show one “prospective plan” fo’ handle da potential flooding wahala facing 200,000 peeps in Waikiki an’ da oddah ‘hoods close by. ??
Da Ala Wai Canal concrete walls still stay in da plan, but da Manoa District Park detention basin wen get cut, an’ dass one good ting. ?? Manoa Neighborhood Board membah Elton Fukumoto stay all happy kine. ?
Da plan wen come out in one video dis week b’foe da virtual public meeting on Monday 5:30 p.m., an’ you can check ‘um out at da project’s website, honolulu.gov/alawai. ??
Dis plan stay fo’ da kine storm dat come every 20 to 50 years, an’ get da early version of da “tentatively selected plan” dat goin’ show up in da Ala Wai Canal Flood Risk Management General Re-evaluation draft report in June o’ July. ??️
In da video, Ala Wai project manager Eric Merriam talk about da prospective plan get floodwalls on top Ala Wai Canal, Kaimuki High School, Woodlawn Drive an’ Koali Road, plus one detention basin fo’ Ala Wai Golf Course. ?️⛳
All dese projects stay good fo’ da money, Merriam say, an’ goin’ help fo’ reduce da risk of flooding fo’ da peeps who stay living by Makiki, Manoa an’ Palolo streams an’ Ala Wai Canal. ??
Da plan say, da Woodlawn an’ Koali Road floodwalls goin’ help Manoa area from flooding. Da Kaimuki High School floodwall goin’ help da ‘hoods east/southeast of Manoa-Palolo Canal. An’ da Ala Wai Golf Course detention basin an’ Ala Wai Canal floodwalls goin’ help Waikiki an’ da close ‘hoods from flooding. ?️?
No mo’ detention basins at Manoa District Park an’ Makiki District Park, an’ no mo’ da proposed Kanaha floodwall. ❌?
Merriam, who stay in Pittsburgh, say dat even dough dese projects woulda help da plan, nevah was enough fo’ really make one difference in saving lives o’ helping da most vulnerable peeps. ??
Da project also wen get pressure from da Manoa Neighborhood Board peeps, who wen vote fo’ no like da detention basin at Manoa District Park, an’ from area reps like state Rep. Andrew Takuya Garrett, state Sen. Carol Fukunaga an’ Council membah Calvin Say. ??️
Fukumoto say da community peeps felt da detention basin at da park would make da park experience no good, an’ maybe make one berm ’round da park dat would take away da nice view fo’ da peeps who stay living dea. ??️
Da neighborhood board nevah was too sure how da park goin’ be aftah, Fukumoto say, cuz da project peeps nevah like make one presentation at dea meetings. ??️
Fo’ da floodwalls an’ detention basin levees, Merriam say right now dey tink ’bout 6 feet tall, but da final height goin’ be figured out in da next study phase. ??
Da aesthetics of da floodwall facades an’ Ala Wai canoe launches, an’ how fo’ make ‘um look bettah, goin’ be talked ’bout in da coming weeks too. ??
Merriam say, “We still stay tinking ’bout one elevated path o’ walkway, running an’ bike path behind da floodwall. Might be 3 feet high so you get one 3-foot high walkway an’ one 3-foot wall on top dat.” ??
Sidney Lynch, da big boss of Protect Our Ala Wai Watersheds, say da beef ’bout da floodwalls prob’ly goin’ stay ’til da project figgah how fo’ make da floodwalls look bettah fo’ da views. ??
“It depends on da final product an’ how dey look,” she say. ?
Merriam say da engineers also goin’ look at putting pumps fo’ help with drainage an’ recommend oddah ways fo’ handle flooding, like lifting houses on stilts o’ making oddah kine buildings flood-proof. ??
“Now dat we get one bettah idea ’bout dis plan, we goin’ talk story with da landowners who might be affected by da plan b’foe da draft report come out,” he say. ?️?
Befo’ dis, da project engineers wen check out but nevah like some oddah proposed flood mitigation stuff. Dey included making one second outlet fo’ Ala Wai Canal an’ turning Kapiolani Park into one big detention basin. ??
Dey also nevah like da green solutions like taking out invasive trees an’ planting native ones in da watershed, cuz dey say dat mostly goin’ help fo’ storm events dat happen every one o’ two years. Dis project stay aimed at da big kine, super bad storms. ?️?
By December, da officials wen narrow da project down to three potential action plans. One was focused on water storage, with detention basins fo’ hold stormwater. Anoddah one was ’bout water conveyance, with different channels an’ floodwalls. ??
Da t’ree was one hybrid plan with both kine stuff, an’ dass da one dat stay da base of da prospective plan dat goin’ be shown on Monday. ?️?
Da public get chance fo’ talk ’bout da project’s supplemental environmental impact statement ’til May 8. ??
Aftah da draft plan come out in June o’ July, da project goin’ have two public workshops on da tentatively selected plan: one virtual an’ one in person. ??
Mo’ meetings goin’ happen wen da final draft come out latah dis year o’ early 2024, an’ da project goin’ pau by June 2024. ??
NOW IN ENGLISH
?? Army Corps Reveals Plan for Ala Wai Flooding ??
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has unveiled a “prospective plan” to deal with the potential flooding disaster facing 200,000 people in Waikiki and neighboring communities. ??
The controversial concrete walls around the Ala Wai Canal remain in the plan, but the contentious Manoa District Park detention basin has been dropped, much to the relief of many. ?? Manoa Neighborhood Board member Elton Fukumoto is overjoyed. ?
The plan was revealed in a video this week before the virtual public meeting on Monday at 5:30 p.m., and you can find it on the project’s website, honolulu.gov/alawai. ??
This plan is designed for storms that occur every 20 to 50 years and is an early version of the “tentatively selected plan” that is scheduled to appear in the Ala Wai Canal Flood Risk Management General Re-evaluation draft report in June or July. ??️
In the video, Ala Wai project manager Eric Merriam mentioned that the prospective plan includes floodwalls at the Ala Wai Canal, Kaimuki High School, Woodlawn Drive, and Koali Road, as well as a detention basin for the Ala Wai Golf Course. ?️⛳
These projects are not only economically justified, Merriam said, but will help reduce the risk of flooding for residents living along Makiki, Manoa, and Palolo streams and the Ala Wai Canal. ??
According to the plan, the Woodlawn and Koali Road floodwalls will reduce the flooding risk to the Manoa area. The Kaimuki High School floodwall will reduce the risk to communities east/southeast of the Manoa-Palolo Canal. And the Ala Wai Golf Course detention basin and the Ala Wai Canal floodwalls will minimize the flooding risk to Waikiki and nearby communities. ?️?
No longer under consideration are detention basins at Manoa District Park and Makiki District Park, along with the proposed Kanaha floodwall. ❌?
Merriam, who is based in Pittsburgh, said that while these projects would have contributed positively to the plan, neither was determined to substantially reduce risk to lives or to benefit most socially vulnerable communities. ??
The project also faced pressure from members of the Manoa Neighborhood Board, which voted to formally oppose the detention basin at Manoa District Park, and from area representatives, including state Rep. Andrew Takuya Garrett, state Sen. Carol Fukunaga, and Council member Calvin Say. ??️
Fukumoto said community members felt that a detention basin at the heavily used park would not only negatively affect the experience for park users but probably result in an earthen berm around the park that would destroy the viewshed for neighboring residents. ??️
In the end, the neighborhood board wasn’t exactly sure how the park would be affected, Fukumoto said, in part because project officials turned down an invitation to make a presentation at their meetings. ??️
As for the floodwalls and detention basin levees, Merriam said they are currently assumed to be 6 feet tall, although their ultimate height will be determined in the next study phase. ??
In the coming weeks, the aesthetics of the floodwall facades and Ala Wai canoe launches, as well as efforts to reduce their visual impacts, will be addressed.
