JAMM AQUINO / 2019
Heavy equipment is positioned in the Ala Wai Canal on Oct. 15, 2019, as the city conducts dredging work.
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According to Mayor Rick Blangiardi, the Army Corps of Engineers Ala Wai flood control project’s overall cost has ballooned to more than $11 billion, and that’s in 2025 dollars (“Costs Opens in a new tab rising,” Star-Advertiser, March Opens in a new tab30) Opens in a new tab.
Perhaps we should dig deeper, literally, rather than build 6-foot containment walls. The last major dredging effort was completed in 2021. According to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, the primary benefit was maintaining the ability of the canal to convey stormwater flows to the ocean in order to reduce the risk of flooding.
Significantly increasing the depth of the canal by dredging would create a greater stormwater holding capacity. Of course, water seeks its own level, so an engineered structure and slope would be required to prevent backflow from the ocean. And more attention must be given to regularly removing debris restricting drainage.
Surely the cost would be well below $11.1 billion.
Barney Wilson
Laie
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