While canoe paddlers usually spend the final weeks of May fine-tuning their technique, form and timing, a pesky wastewater problem in one of the sport’s most heavily used venues has canoe clubs and organizations focusing on flushing out an answer.

As the summer sprint racing season gets under way Sunday at Keehi Lagoon with the launch of the Na ‘Ohana O Na Hui Wa‘a’s season-opening Kalihi Kai regatta, the venue will be available for paddlers as long as bacteria levels remain low enough to meet public safety standards.

As of Thursday morning, the State Department of Health — the organization responsible for making the final call on whether to open the lagoon for public use — stated on its website that no water contamination warnings, advisories or postings were in effect. This was a welcomed change for paddlers after months of uncertainty.

Keehi Lagoon was deemed off-limits to the public in February, shortly after the Hawaii High School Athletic Association State Championships were held at the site, after the discovery of increased levels of bacteria in the water. It was initially thought that a cracked pipe near the Nimitz Highway viaduct, which runs alongside a storm drain feeding the lagoon, was responsible for releasing wastewater.

However, after work was started to "rehabilitate" the pipe initially blamed for the problem, it was determined via water sampling that the wastewater might be emanating from another source, perhaps further up the stream and not necessarily from a spill related to a particular pipe.

According to the City’s Department of Environmental Services Director Lori Kahikina, it will probably take "another month" to fix the pipe, but in the meantime, the lagoon has been opened to the public while the waters are continually tested.

"We were mandated by the Department of Health to do continuous monitoring at Keehi Lagoon, and they rotate with us, so we take samples one week and they take samples the other week," Kahikina explained.

"As far as beach closures, depending on what we find in the lab results, the Department of Health has all authority, we just report the data to them. On Monday, they gave us the go-ahead to take down the (closure) signs so the paddlers could go back into the water. But, I don’t know what will happen (throughout the summer) depending on the bacteria levels that we find during the weekly testing."

Gino Dayton serves as head coach of the Keola O Ke Kai Canoe Club, a member of the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association (OHCRA), which also uses Keehi Lagoon for summer regattas.

The club is one of six based at the lagoon throughout the summer season, and during the closure, the club’s paddlers were forced to travel carefully through the potentially dangerous body of water across to Sand Island where conditions were safe. Paddlers and coaches lost valuable practice time commuting away from and back to the beach at Keehi Lagoon where the canoes are stored.

"That’s the inconvenient part. We had to tell our kids to paddle clear over to Sand Island without splashing any water, then we have to drive over to meet them," Dayton said. "Then, we need to paddle the canoes back because we don’t have a (canoe storage) permit for Sand Island."

Dayton theorizes that the contaminated water might stem from the growing homeless population living under and around the Nimitz Highway viaduct. The veteran coach noted that at least "20 homeless camps" exist in the areas around the lagoon shrouded by bushes, and "there’s no running water, so where’s (their waste) going? That’s raw sewage. There was a report that a security guard recently saw toilet paper in the water, and that’s what led to the testing for bacteria. Their shacks over-hang the water, and some have even created floating houses."

The theory was not ruled out by Kahikina.

"It could be that they’re defecating (in or near the lagoon), because there are pockets where the storm drain is open," Kahikina said. "It’s a mystery to us at this point. Just to be safe rather than sorry, we’re going to go ahead and rehabilitate the pipe as soon as the materials come in from the mainland."

According to OHCRA Race Director Stan Dickson, the organization is currently planning to hold its season-opening Clement D. Paaina Regatta on June 2 at Keehi Lagoon as scheduled. However, if bacteria levels force the closure of the lagoon next week following the ensuing round of testing, he said that Kailua Beach will serve as the alternative race site.

"Keehi Lagoon can be much better than it is now. Not just the water quality, but the facilities like the pavilion," said Dickson. "It just seems like it doesn’t take precedence for the state. This sport keeps a lot of people healthy and active."

REC CENTER

Top rugby teams at Aloha Stadium

The USA Tomahawks and Toa Samoa, two teams headed to the Rugby League World Cup in October, will meet in an Ohana Cup Series friendly at Aloha Stadium.

The June 1 event, billed as Samoa Independence Day Rugby Festival, starts at 7 p.m. Among the players on the USA team are former University of Hawaii football players Kelly McGill, Joshua Rice and Jayson Rego, as well as Kahuku’s Vai Notoa.

The festival includes three other matches between Hawaii teams vying for seedings into the USA Rugby National Tournament. Gates open at 8 a.m.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children.

For information, contact McGill at 392-8454 or president.grandpacificresources@gmail.com.

The throws meet series opens Sunday

The Hawaii Masters Track Club opens its five-week summer throws meet series at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at the Kaiser High track.

Participants must be HMTC members. Membership information is available at hmtcgo.com.

Each weekly meet offers competition in three disciplines, including hammer, discus, shot put, javelin, weight and super weight. The series runs Sundays through June 30, with the exception of June 9.

Also on the HMTC schedule are the USATF-Hawaii Masters and Open Outdoor Track and Field Championship, June 8-9, at the University of Hawaii track, and the Aloha State Games-Senior Olympics, July 6-7, also at UH.

Summer junior volleyball league starting

Registration is open for the Hawaii Junior Volleyball League’s summer sessions at Fort Ruger Gym.

The league is under the direction of former Olympic beach volleyball player Kevin Wong and his Spike & Serve staff. Sessions are 4-5:30 p.m. and 5:30-7 p.m. on Tuesdays, starting June 4 and running through July 23.

The sessions are for boys and girls ages 5 through 9 (fundamentals) and ages 9 through 13 (team concepts). The eight-week cost for the younger group is $200, $240 for the older group; the drop-in daily rate is $30. For information, go to spikeandserve.com.

Kalakaua hoops clinic deadline Monday

The registration deadline for next month’s Kalakaua Basketball Summer Camp, featuring Dennis Agena, is Monday. The camp is June 3-6 at Manoa District Park Gym with two sessions, 8 a.m. until noon for ages 6-10, and 1-5 p.m. for ages 11-17. The cost is $140, due by Monday. For information, go to kalakauabasketball.com.

Maui Sports Academy comes to Kalani

Maui Sports Academy brings its Hawaii High School Basketball Exposure Camp to Oahu for the first time next month at Kalani High gym. Among the clinicians for the June 19-23 camp are former Hawaii prep standouts Derrick Low, Kyle Pape and Rashaun Broadus. The cost is $375 and open to grades 9-12. For information, contact Alan Walls at 280-9545 or go to mauisportsacademy.com.

SUP race at Haleiwa

The fourth Surf N Sea Haleiwa SUP Race, a 4-mile course around Haleiwa Harbor and Pua‘ena Point, is set for June 1, starting 8:45 a.m.

In addition, the top 20 fastest stand-up paddleboarders — 10 men and 10 women — qualify for the O’Neill SUP Derby. The competition consists of a sprint race and agility course with $2,600 in prize money.

There also will be a keiki relay and SUP demos. The entry fee for the SUP race is $40.

For more information, call 637-SURF. The Surf N Sea shop is at 62-595 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa.

Waterman program Saturday

IKAIKA Hawaii, which runs waterman programs year-round, has one last Try It Day scheduled Saturday at Hawaii Kai, from 9-11 a.m. It is free for kids who want to try any of the paddling sports.

The club is offering Waterman’s Summer Training Camps for kids ages 8 to 15 who are water safe. Instruction for beginners or to improve skills in surf ski, kayak, paddle boards, SUP and outrigger are available. Cost is $120 a session/week. Camps begin Monday, morning or afternoon, at Maunalua Bay. They will also be offered at Magic Island and Kahalu‘u Park. For more information, email shelleyoateswilding@gmail.com, call 388-3207 or visit ikaikahawaii.com