The federal government and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources will provide $5.3 million to clean up and rehabilitate Wailapa Stream — the scene of destructive flooding from the March 14, 2006, breach of Ka Loko Reservoir in
The federal government and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources will provide $5.3 million to clean up and rehabilitate Wailapa Stream — the scene of destructive flooding from the March 14, 2006, breach of Ka Loko Reservoir in Kilauea.
The flooding left seven persons dead and ravaged properties along the Wailapa and Kilauea streams.
With permission from landowners, a contractor or a combination of contractors and state workers will remove debris and rehabilitate the stream, state Sen. Clayton Hee, D-23rd (Kaneohe, Kahuku) said yesterday.
The work could start after Limtiaco Consulting Group, a Honolulu engineering consulting firm hired by the state for the project, makes an assessment and recommendations, said Hee, chairman of the Senate Committee on Water and Land, which has jurisdiction over the matter.
“This is more than cleaning. This will restore and rehabilitate,” Hee said.
U.S. Daniel Inouye (Hawai‘i) has earmarked $5 million in federal funds and the state Civil Defense and DLNR will contribute another $1.68 million for work on the Kilauea and Walapa streams and the Makaua Stream on O‘ahu, all of which suffered damage during 40 days of continual rain in early 2006.
Of the $6.68 million, $5.3 million would be used for the Kaua‘i streams, according to a DLNR fact sheet.
By law, private landowners must maintain streams that abut their properties, but that condition won’t apply in the current cases because of the magnitude of the natural disaster, Hee said.
“There is public purpose in using these funds,” he said.
County officials reported to the Kaua‘i County Council during meetings last year that it was their understanding the cost of making major repairs to damaged properties on Wailapa Stream would be borne by landowners, not by government.
“The county has completed the debris clean-up in the Wailapa area within the scope of work that was allowed,” Mayor Bryan Baptiste said in a statement yesterday. “We hope they can find ways to utilize the funding by expanding the scope of work.”
Wailapa Stream owner Donna Apisa said the latest development is good news.
“It will save money for private landowners, and there is debris still there,” she said.
She said she spent a considerable amount of money removing debris from her property, which starts in the middle of the stream.
“A few people have cleaned up, but many have not because they are waiting to see what happens,” she said. “I took the initiative because everything was at a standstill.”
While they have drawn criticism for not shouldering a great share of the clean-up, the federal, state and county governments initially appropriated millions in emergency funds after the breach.
Before any repair work can be done, the Wailapa Stream owners must reach an agreement with the state to allow repair crews onto their properties, Hee said.
“Hopefully, the project can be allowed to proceed, because the repair work will be done at no cost to the landowner,” Hee said. “This is a very unique situation.”
The engineering branch of the DLNR has hired Limtiaco Consulting Group to conduct site work and planning and design work for the two Kaua‘i streams and the O‘ahu stream, Hee said.
“There may be some construction done (at the Kaua‘i streams), depending on what the civil engineer says,” Hee said.
The government also will hold public meetings to explain the work, he also said.
The Ka Loko Dam breach sent 300 million gallons of water down the Wailapa and Kilauea streams to the sea, along with trees, dirt, appliances and vehicles.
Seven persons died when the three buildings they slept in were swept off their foundations by the flooding. The buildings were owned by Bruce Fehring.
The DLNR drew criticism for not having hired a consultant to inspect the dam, which an independent investigator said failed because of the lack of a spillway, triggering scores of lawsuits against landowner James Pflueger, who has maintained he is not to be blamed because he was not directly responsible for the reservoir’s upkeep, and the state of Hawai‘i.
Fehring said he has joined at least 20 other plaintiffs in lawsuits against Pflueger and the state.
• Lester Chang, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or lchang@kauaipubco.com.
