Protect the Wai Kailua
is a grassroots campaign led by community members who reside and work in the coastal community of Kailua, Ko’olaupoko. Oahu to protect the wai (water) from the mountains to the sea. Whether you are a paddler, surfer, beachgoer, kitesurfer, swimmer, live near a waterway, enjoy fishing and boating, walk near a stormdrain, skate near a culvert, hike in the mountains — water connects us and our lives are impacted by water quality. Protect the Wai is an opportunity to step into our leadership as protectors of the wai. We have the largest wetland in the State of Hawaii (Kawainui) in our backyard and the watersheds of Kawainui and Kaelepulu which lead to multiple waterways and streams that end in Kailua Bay.
Kailua
The Reality
Kailua Beach was rated the best beach in the United States by Dr. Beach in 2019. That same year we had nearly ten million visitors enjoy sunshine, ocean and recreational activities with Kailua Beach park being a top visitor destination. The iconic Mokulua Islands are featured on multiple glossy brochures and websites. But for those of us who live here, we are deeply concerned about the health of our waterways as well as the aquatic and land ecosystems. What we see that is visible usually happens after a major storm. We get brown water alerts on our phones from the Department of Health. Baterial exceedences of enterococci (fecal matter) from effluent released by the wastewater treatment facility are frequently in the news.
Everyone knows Kailua Bay for it’s beautiful turquoise and teal blue waters, but just because you can’t see–doesn’t mean the pollution is not there. Those of us who played on the beach as children would often collect shells, now we are cleaning up hundreds of pounds of microplastics. Our waterways are polluted with sediment, trash, debris, plastics, bacteria and other contaminants like fertilizer and pesticides. We need to stop pollution from entering our waterways. If you ask old timers – they will recall the days when they went fishing in Kaelepulu canal. Remember the seahorses that would dance by you in the canal? Some of us remember good times jumping from the bridge near Buzz’s and swimming. You won’t see anyone doing that now. The bridge had a sign that warned of pollution, but the sign was so old and rusty it fell off the bridge and no government agency would claim responsibility to replace it. The water at times smells foul. Paddlers often joke about not having their mouth open while paddling the canal to avoid swallowing the water. Some will even tape plastic bags to cover cuts hoping they won’t get an infection.
How can we change this? That’s where you – play a role.
Challenge
Different portions of Kailua’s waterways are owed by separate entities: private and public (City and County of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii) who are each responsible for maintenance, cleaning, clearing of plants and overgrowth which contribute to pollution. The wai itself knows no boundaries. Enforcement of responsibilities and accountability to the public and taxpayers will improve the health of our waterways. Source: www.kailuawaterways.com
Challenge
Seen one of these storm drains on your street? Did you know that it marks an entry point to a waterway? The challenge is that there are not enough personnel to clean trash, debris, overgrowth and weeds from the streams, storm drains, culverts, catchment basins and (hardened concrete channels – like the one next to the skate park in Enchanted Lakes. This contributes significant amounts of pollution to our waterways. The government department tasked with cleaning stormwater infrastructure (Department of Facilities Maintenance) has a high percentage of unfilled positions and jobs that are required for maintenance and upkeep. Imagine how much added pollution Kailua Bay will have if we sit back and wait and 20 years, 50 years? There is a urgent need to help the environment now. We owe it to future generations, but we also owe it to the whales, the honu, the mano, the he’e, the fish and the endangered birds to malama their environment and protect them.
The Hope
Imagine that our waterways return to a pristine state — free of plastic bottles, single use plastic containers, bags, debris, trash, sediment, oil and pollutants. That seahorses will return to bobbing up and down in Kaelepulu. That endangered birds who call Kawainui and Hamakua wetlands home will continue to increase in population and thrive so they will no longer be endangered. That Kawainui will one day return to being a fishpond. That the water will flow freely between Kawainui and Hamakua That we no longer see shopping carts, suitcases, blankets and chairs, sunken in the water under the Kawainui bridge. That we don’t have to hold our nose because of stagnant water that smells bad. That mangroves are replaced with native plants that don’t trap sediment. That the number of brown water alerts and sewage spills decrease. That our fear of getting infections from the water is minimized.
Those of us who want change know that it’s going to take more than writing letters of complaint to government entities. We can no longer afford to standby waiting for resources to appear and vacant jobs will be filled. We need to drive the change. This takes all of us. It will take all of us to become the protectors of the wai.
The Vision
Imagine a year where we didn’t have brown water alerts. Where we didn’t have any bacterial effluent exceedence notifications from enteroccoci entering our water. Imagine our beach free of microplastics. Imagine that no single use plastic bottles end up floating in our water. Where we didn’t have any bacterial effluent exceedence notifications from enteroccoci entering our water. Imagine our beach free of microplastics. Imagine that no single use plastic bottles end up floating in our water. Imagine the areas under the bridge near Hamakua free of trash. Imagine if you could see the bottom of Kaelepulu Pond instead of murky dark green brown. Imagine that the storm drains don’t have weeds growing out of them. Imagine that trash is regularly cleaned from stormdrains so debris and plastics and sediment don’t enter the water. Imagine that all construction sites implement best management practices so that when a big storm comes – there is little to no runoff from their site causing brown water down slope. Imagine that our endangered birds didn’t have to pick through plastic and styrofoam thinking that it’s food.
