That’s right, some of the parking on the Ala Wai along with the bike lane will return. The city is going to start removing the pipes that run along the Ala Wai from Walina Street to Seaside Avenue. This comes just after we wondered how will the Ala Wai get clean?

The city has been working on a bypass system that started in May of 2006 and has been using that system to replace the old pipes that currently remove waste from Waikiki. The city has been successful in replacing and upgrading some of the pipes and plans to continue the work to upgrade the whole system.

This upgrade will hopefully remove all of the unsightly pipes that line the Ala Wai but the city isn’t sure if they will remove the small portion between Seaside and Lewers just yet.

Oh yeah, this also means that one lane on the Ala Wai will be closed between 8:30 am and 3:30 pm along this street so workers can work during the day. And this will go on for several weeks.

You can read more about the project and get updates at www.beachwalkbypass.com. I had no idea sites like that existed for the city. I am actually learning about the project that I never thought was going to end (or start again).

For starters I think I know what the smell might be from on the Ala Wai. A recent article in the Honolulu Advertiser revealed that the extremely high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the sediment (bottom muck) lead to the “notorious odor” of the Ala Wai Canal.

But where to those high level of nitrogen and phosphorous come from in the first place?

Well one place is sewer spill from 2006. Having millions of gallons of sewage dumped into the canal will definitely raise the levels. The other places are the rivers, canals, and run-off that feed into the Ala Wai. The article just mentioned fertilizer and pet waste from wash off in the streets and land but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few other types of waste heading into the canal.

So the big question is, how is the Ala Wai Canal going to get clean? The next dredging of the canal isn’t scheduled until 2013. The last one occurred in 2003 and cost $7.4 million. From what I’ve been told by others opinions is that the dredging cleaned the canal for all of a month. It was back to merky and nasty in no time.

The next idea is those mysterious plants near the Ala Wai Golf Course. Those plants, called ‘akulikuli have recently lost all available funding and have been all but halted. The plants were successful at removing pollutants in their limited locations but it is unknown how useful they would be if the project were expanded down the length of the Ala Wai. Also the project is estimated to cost $1.5 million. Getting an unproven method that kind of funding might not be possible.

Others fell that the streams and waterways leading to the Ala Wai must be cleaned. To me that sounds like a solution that would require rerouting thousands of sewer drains off road ways, diverting land based waste away from draining into feeder streams, and countless other efforts that would cost a lot of money. Probably a lot more that $1.5 million.

Another option would be educating everyone in the state what you can and can’t leave laying around. But even with education, stopping every animal, ferrel cat, dog etc, and every car from leaking fluids on the road, would be nearly impossible. Plus theres thousands of new people who come to the islands every single week. How do you stop all these people?

I think the best option to get the Ala Wai clean is to try out the ‘akulikuli plants and expand the project for the length of the Ala Wai Canal. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the use of the canal why not?

Plus the plants would make an otherwise dismal storm drain looking body of water, look a little better. Every time I go to the driving range I see birds and fish surrounding those plants. It looks a lot better than the trash I see at the other end of the Ala Wai. I see we find some state funding and go for the project.

For those of you that live in Waikiki you may notice a funk as you pass by the Ala Wai. This is nothing new you’re probably saying. The Ala Wai is a stinky run-off canal that has who knows what flowing down it. But I think the smell has gotten worse.

Ever since last march when the city pumped raw sewage into the Ala Wai, most people I know have become pretty sensitive to what’s happening around the Ala Wai. The sewage dump closed beaches and canceled sporting events last year and they don’t want to deal with dirty water or funky smell anymore.

Late last year the city decided to put in a large pipe that is for redirecting sewage and was implemented to avoid dumping more sewage into the Ala Wai. However, over the past few months, as I cruise down Sea Side in Waikiki I’ve noticed a particular funk in the air when I come to a stop at the Ala Wai. A funk that one little girl said smelled like rotten eggs yesterday on my walk.

I just want to be reassured that what I’m smelling isn’t the same funk that was created over a year ago by raw sewage. Especially if I’m going to head out in the Waikiki waters soon.

Do you know what that funk is?