On the morning of Jan. 31, sections of the eastern part of the Ala Wai Canal near Kapahulu Avenue appeared nearly solid, as debris floated in large clusters.
The bright pink of a large stuffed Sanrio doll stood out against the brown mix of organic and man-made trash. Amidst the rubbish, a local heron peered into the murky brown water.
Despite community frustration stemming from this debris, fueled by storm runoff from recent heavy rains, Honolulu officials say the city is focused on human safety in the case of such emergency situations.
Located at the base of several streams in the area, one might wonder if some of the junk may have stemmed from homeless encampments that litter the waterways above.
Local resident Steven Stock walked along the Ala Wai after recent flooding and said it reminded him of a scene from the movie Willy Wonka.
“It looks like the Chocolate River, don’t it?” Stock said.
For residents, the accumulation of trash raised concerns about the merit of city efforts.
“We, as a community, are supposed to come together, find a solution, and then deal with it.” said an unhoused area resident who chose to be identified by his nickname ‘Smurf.’ He has been working by himself to clear the debris.
Born and raised in the area, Smurf said the debris this year was more than he had ever seen.
Yet so far, Smurf has failed to see significant efforts from the city to address the trash in the Ala Wai.
Smurf said homeless residents like himself are blamed for debris.
“Every year, same concept over and over,” he said. “Everybody will blame me, these guys. These guys are blaming these guys, and still nothing is getting done.”
Lana Brodziak, a Waikīkī resident since 2006, agreed that the issue is not something new. With a graduate degree in soil science, she spent her career in cleaning and contamination, dealing with water quality and water flow issues.
“It’s really unfortunate… a lot of municipalities [are] not adequately addressing the quality of their stormwater before it gets released into aquatic environments where endangered species live,” she said.
“The biggest factor to me is the lack of the city and county’s environmental services department,” said Brodziak.
Specifically, she noted the implementation of EPA standards for flood control and the quality of stormwater in January of 2000. Unfortunately, she hasn’t seen the city take strong action, and feels they are failing to meet these requirements.
In terms of solutions, Brodziak favored Army Corps of Engineers plans to construct water retention basins in Palolo and Makiki to hold excess water from flooding. These plans were scrapped in 2019.
“I think that is a much wiser solution than trying to erect a four or five foot concrete wall along the Makai side of the canal,” she said, referring to updated Army Corps plans for Ala Wai flood control in 2023.
Other residents, like an unhoused community member who chose to be identified by his nickname “Bo,” shared Brodziak’s frustration about the state of affairs.
“It’d be nice if people would pick up after themselves, but some people don’t. You know? So what are you gonna do,” said Bo, who lives out of his car, in close proximity to waterway camps.
Since Stock moved to Oahu in 2009, he has seen a large variety of trash removed from the canal. Specifically, Stock questioned the origin of various bikes and shopping carts that he’s observed.
“There’s a lot of trash bins located wherever. So how hard is it to put it in there? Now I don’t know what goes on up there in higher elevations, but, you know, people deposit it wherever they want to,” said Stock.
The issue of litter in our waterways is a constant struggle, said Honolulu Department of Community Services Director Anton C. Krucky.
“Cleanup is a year-long activity, but the emergency comes all at once,” Krucky said.
As the legal jurisdiction over waterway trash removal varies between city and state departments depending on location, there is no one department responsible for keeping the Ala Wai clean. However, Krucky feels these logistics don’t pose an issue, as cleanup typically consists of a joint effort between agencies.
Krucky explained that the DCS preemptively clears people from our waterways, offering shelter and other services, “Maintenance is a regular thing. We’re doing that constantly.”
Yet, in the case of life-threatening floods that fill our waterways and sweep away everything unsecured, Krucky said that they “prioritize the people’s safety.” For those that live in our streams, this means relocation is mandatory in emergency situations.
“The strategy for the folks that are homeless from the city standpoint is complex,” Krucky said. “It really is complex because you’re dealing with humans with many different issues.”
