The Ala Wai Canal study is in round two of a plan to protect neighborhoods and businesses in the area from major flooding. The 2-mile-long canal is key to the vitality of neighborhoods around Waikīkī, which harbors much of the visitor industry.
That's why input into a project to minimize the flood risk is being encouraged. There are two meetings this week to do just that.
The Conversation talked to Eric Merriam, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project manager, about "take two" on the proposed flood control project.
The project area covers 19 square miles of a watershed that stretches from Makiki to Mānoa to Palolo, and services more than 40 public and private schools and colleges.
Merriam said engineers have listened to resident feedback and incorporated features that reduce the impact on the community.
"Things like an elevated walkway along the canal flood walls, so that the height of the wall, if you're standing right next to it, is only 3 feet, so you can still enjoy views of the canal and the Diamond Head crater. Also, things like incorporating canoe launch areas as well as a lava rock or volcanic rock facade," he told The Conversation.
The cost of the latest version would be about a billion dollars. Federal funding is not guaranteed for the project — and the amount of city funding that will be required is still unclear.
It's the latest in a years-long effort to address the risk of major flooding throughout the Ala Wai watershed.
This story aired on The Conversation on Dec. 12, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
