Honolulu Beaches Remain Closed Pending Water Test Results
While the Ala Moana sewage spill was localized, Waikiki beaches were closed out of an “abundance of caution,” city official says.
Honolulu beaches from the Kapahulu Groin to Point Panic remained off-limits Tuesday and will聽stay closed pending the results of water testing, city officials said.
Lori Kahikina, the director of the , said Monday’s sewage spill near the intersection of Ala Moana Boulevard and Atkinson Drive only affected the water off the Ala Moana Beach Park.
But Waikiki beaches were also closed out of an “abundance of caution” in response to a statewide brown-water advisory after heavy rains early Monday, Kahikina said.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
“The spill is here in Ala Moana. Our spill is not going to affect Waikiki and go in that direction,” Kahikina told reporters at Tuesday’s press conference at Ala Moana Beach Park.
Still, Shayne Enright, spokeswoman for the , urged the public to stay out of Waikiki waters.
“Would you rather swim with human feces or possibly with animal feces? That’s where we’re at right now. We can’t make it any clearer than that,” Enright said.
Kahikina said her department is working with the to test water samples from about 20 South Shore sites.
Jesse Broder Van Dyke, spokesman for Mayor Kirk Caldwell, said the results from the first round of testing won’t be released until Wednesday, when an announcement will be made about reopening the beaches.
Scott Murakawa of the Department of Heath takes a water sample at Ala Moana Beach.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
Kahikina said Monday’s sewage spill could have been prevented: Because of a breakdown in communication between her department and the , a needed part hadn’t been installed at one of the two Ala Moana pump stations, rendering it inoperable.
The work on the station was part of the city’s effort to upgrade its sewage system, mandated under .
The two stations were fully back in working order on Tuesday, Kahikina said.
Several other sewage spills were reported around Oahu on Monday, including along Kalanianaole Highway in Wailupe and at the Kailua and Kaneohe wastewater treatment facilities.
About 120,000 gallons of raw sewage from the Kailua facility flowed into Nuupia Ponds, while nearly 5,000 gallons of wastewater was released into Kawa Stream in Kaneohe, Kahikina said.
The is expected to reopen Ala Moana Beach Park on Wednesday morning, though the beach will still be off-limits.
National Weather Service forecasters say more heavy rain is likely for Hawaii throughout most of the week.
“A very moist and unstable air mass remains over Hawaii. This tropical moisture interacting with island terrain will produce localized … intense … and slow moving heavy rains that may lead to flash flooding,” the NWS said.
