Street debris cleared and waterways blocked off as kona low passes through | News, Sports, Jobs

Straw wattles line a waterway in a burn zone of Lahaina. The long bundles filled with straw aim to prevent erosion and runoff potentially containing toxic debris from getting into the ocean as a kona low brings heavy rain to the islands this week. Photos courtesy Maui County

Maui County put in equipment to protect waterways in the Lahaina burn zone and asked customers in the area to limit their wastewater usage as an “unpredictable kona low” passed through on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Maui County starting Wednesday through this afternoon, cautioning in a special weather statement Wednesday that periods of heavy rain or isolated thunderstorms could impact Maui, Molokai and Kahoolawe through the early afternoon.

The weather service added that “periods of rain exceeding one inch per hour could exacerbate localized flooding over recent burn scars in West Maui and on the western slope of Haleakala. Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects.”

Oahu and Kauai were placed under a flood watch earlier this week, as the kona low brought at least 1-2 inches of rain to the majority of rain gauges on both islands Wednesday, according to the weather service’s rainfall data.

A worker installs a straw wattle in an area of the Lahaina burn zone.

Maui County said Wednesday that it was working with state and federal partners to prepare fire-damaged areas for flooding.

The county Department of Public Works deployed 40 pallets of straw wattles, which are long bundles of straw that help curb erosion and runoff, in the Lahaina burn zone. Twenty-five staff members are on standby to monitor best management practices, which help prevent ash from getting into the storm drain system, the county said. Public Works had also cleared 90 percent of debris from streets in the Lahaina burn zone as of Wednesday.

The state Department of Transportation also set up 8,000 feet of a pollutant filter system called Enviroxx on Front Street.

Earlier this week, county staff also inspected and cleared culverts in South Maui and Upcountry where flooding is known to occur. Flood mitigation equipment will be staged if and when flooding begins.

Employees on Molokai and Lanai also have been preparing their districts, the county said.

The county Department of Environmental Management’s Wastewater Reclamation Division also prepared its systems and staff and asked West Maui sewer customers to help reduce the volume in the county sewer collection system should the area flood due to severe rainfall.

Because the county is expecting more stormwater than normal in the wastewater system, where damage assessment is still pending, residents and properties within and near the burn zone are asked to limit water usage during times of heavy rain and flooding through Saturday. Specifically, the division asked Lahaina customers within and near the burn zone to reduce toilet flushing, bathing, washing clothes and cleaning dishes, in hopes of safeguarding the system against potential sewage spills.

The division has prepared by plugging some collection systems in the fire-damaged area of Lahaina to limit flows to the wastewater treatment facility, which could contain toxic debris, the county said. It also has backup power for operating pump stations and is prepared to sample influent/effluent received in county Lahaina systems and treatment facility. To contact the Wastewater Division, call (808) 270-7417.

With the kona low approaching, the Disaster Recovery Center at UH-Maui College closed Wednesday. The Disaster Recovery Center at the Lahaina Civic Center remained open, but officials are continuing to monitor the weather to determine if a closure is warranted. Both centers will reevaluate conditions today to determine hours.

The county encouraged the public to be prepared with an emergency kit and to stay informed through credible sources such as the National Weather Service, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and the Maui Emergency Management Agency. To sign up for Maui Police Department road closure notifications, visit bit.ly/MauiRoadClosure.

For more information on emergency preparedness and to sign up for alerts from MEMA, visit www.mauicounty.gov/MEMA.

Straw wattles line a waterway in a burn zone of Lahaina. The long bundles filled with straw aim to prevent erosion and runoff potentially containing toxic debris from getting into the ocean as a kona low brings heavy rain to the islands this week. Photos courtesy Maui County A worker installs a straw wattle in an area of the Lahaina burn zone.

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