Over the course of four years, sludge in the Ala Wai Canal has shrunk from 25 inches to just three, according to members of a canal cleanup project.
The Genki Ala Wai Project has been using genki balls to sink into the bottom of the Ala Wai and eat away at the sludge that has been deterring community members from swimming in the canal for the past few decades.
Kupuna community members shared memories of times when they could swim in the canal as children at a sustainable coastlines community outreach last October. However, stories of bacteria and pollution found in the canal from runoff of nearby streams prevent people from swimming or fishing nowadays.
Tom Honan, a two-year volunteer member with the nonprofit Genki Ala Wai Project, said the improvements to the canal’s water quality have led to increases in wildlife.
“We’ve seen the return of oysters, monk seals, moi, and manta rays the size of my forearm,” Honan said.
Soil, rice bran, molasses, and effective microorganism fluid (EM) are compacted together into the mud balls and left to cure for two weeks prior to being thrown into the river. Over the course of a month, the microorganisms in the EM fluid will be released and begin to feed on the sludge as they drift downstream.
The project’s initial inspiration came from the Osaka Fisherman’s Cooperative, which used the EM fluid to clean the Dōtonbori River and Osaka Bay in Japan.
Kouri Nago, a member of the project, explained the origins of the project as back in 2019, when federal funding did not go through for the project due to the pandemic, but permission to utilize the EM microorganism fluid needed did.
That did not deter the progress, as members of the project decided to keep the ball rolling and went ahead with volunteering to clean the canal. The project eventually expanded to the community, whose membership and dedication to the cause became vital.
Ultimately the goal of the project is to have the Ala Wai Canal swimmable by the end of 2026.
“Genki means happy, healthy, or vital and that is what our goal is here with Genki balls,” says Nago.