I have lived in Honolulu for 90 years and can attest to the once-pristine condition of the Ala Wai Canal. There were elevated wooden fishing platforms always occupied by anglers catching edible fish. There was an electric boat business that rented out quiet little 2-seaters for leisurely cruises. You could drag your fingers through clean water.

Instead of raising ugly 6-foot walls, why can’t the solution be dredging the canal and keeping all branches and debris out of the mountain streams on a regularly scheduled basis (“Army Corps unveils plan to handle Ala Wai flooding,” Star-Advertiser, April 19)?

The city and state seldom factor in the cost of maintenance for any project. Think of the Hawaii Convention Center, for example. The Ala Wai golf course is a natural flood plain without any major work or flood walls.

The Army Corps of Engineers is “overengineering” this project.

Bubba Walker

Kahala

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