Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-03-29
DIvERTING The WAIKIKI REAcH
". IS" STREAM

I
Sir: VIII you be so kind as to pub
fish the following letter in your issue
OF the Star-BuIletil this afternoon.
There has been considerable pub
lished in the papers the past few days
in regard to diverting the waters
which now reach the ocean between
the Moana Hotel and the Outrigger
Club. A bill, believe. is to come be-
fore the house providing for an appro-
priation OF $4,000 TO be used in the
diyerting OF these waters.
II has been suggested that the wa
tiers be diverted to the stream which
meets the ocean near Makee island.
This has been opposed and il has been
suggested that they be diverted TO the
Kalia stream
Not long ago the superintendent Oh
public works suggested a reclamation
project for the purpose Of retaining
the swamps and duck ponds on the
mauka side of the Waikiki road A
public hearing was held and at that
time the point was raised that unless
due provision was made to carry off
the storm waters there would be dan
ger Of creating an unsanitary swamp
hack of the fill which was then pro-
posed. The plan was temporarily
abandoned and the superintendent of
public works was to prepare a COM
prehensige scheme OF reclamation of
the whole district providing for water
and sewer facilities and for proper
drainage. .~
To properly understand the problem
enc must realize the vast territory
whose storm waters are carried off at
the present time by the three streams.
the Makee Island stream, the stream
by the Moana Hotel and the Kalia
stream n.y..
The writer has lived the greater
part of his life in the section drained
by the streams above mentioned and
as boy swan and caught fish in the
streams and ponds between Kalakaua
avenue and Diamond Head. In those
days the water was clear and there
were no large muddy swamps. The
land was partly overgrown with bull
rushes and the streams were open and
carried the water off to the sea quick
ly. There were at that time numerous
channels carrying water to the ocean,
one flowing. into the ocean about
where Piikoi street, if extended, would
reach the ocean This carried the
storm waters of the Punchbowl and
portion of the Makiki districts. There
was another stream reaching the
ocean between this and the present
Kalia stream and there was also one
reaching the ocean between the Kalia
stream and the stream by the Moana
Hotel. When the heavy rains caused
large freshets these numerous outlets
carried the water to the sea quickly
so that what is now the swampy land
was soon drained. .....
AS the city built up and the roads
were graded the. storm waters from
Punchbowl crater slopes and from a
portion of MakiH were diverted by
ditch into the Makiki stream and later
the stream between the Moana Hotel
and Kalia was closed up.
storm waters which flow through the
present stream fill the ocean with
debris from above, which naturally
makes II disagreeable for bathers. and
it certainly would be advisable If this
could be remedied, but wish to lodge
protest against any hasty, ill-eonsid.
cred scheme of closing the stream in
question in order to do away with a
temporary Inconvenience to the bath
ers, when such change. may cause
lasting damage to the large and yalu-
able area Of property above and may
mean future unnecessary drainage
work which will cause the territory or
property owners thousands of dollars.
1t is not often that we have Is inches
of rainfall in Is hours, but fell of
six or eight inches is not uncommon
and with fewer outlets to the ocean
the inundation of the property above
Kalakaua avenue will be much greater
and will last much longer. SKIS.
As an evidence of the damaging re!
suits of ill-considered engineering
plans for the drainage of the mountain
waters, the residence in the vicinity
of the Makiki fire station can bear
eloquent testimony, and large num-
Der of residents in the College Hills
and Manoa districts are ready to bear
eloquent and possibly profane testi-
mony In regard to the insufficient and
poorly considered plans for the proper
drainage Of storm waters in Manoa
valley. ~ .-~.... ...E
Year after year the flume carrying
the storm waters from Punchbewl and
Makiki, through the ditch to the MAXI
XII stream. has either overlooked or
been carried away. There is a ditch
running above the Makiki fire station
across to the Makiki stream The
grade of this ditch is very slight and
the capacity of the ditch is entirely
insufficient to take care of the over
flow waters from even a moderate
storm. Thousands of dollars worth of
damage has been done in the past to
the property owners and to the gov