Yes! We are not against flood mitigation or protecting Waikiki. However, the plan currently being considered by the City of Honolulu and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is deeply flawed.

 The flooding projections of the USACE does not justify the large detention basins in the Pukele Stream and Waiomao Stream areas. We could mitigate flooding using less expensive, nonstructural measures.

In their plan, the USACE's basic means for flood protection is by detention (holding water) which is suitable for the mainland with watersheds that are thousands of miles long and no place for the water to go. The Ala Wai Watershed is about 5 miles long from ridgeline to ocean which is a short distance.  The watershed is also relatively small.  The Ala Wai Canal is a little over a quarter of a mile from the ocean. It makes no sense to be building huge dentation dams in the upper watershed or concrete walls surrounding the Ala Wai Canal when the simple objective is to get the water to the ocean.

 Storm protection will surely be needed: However, if it is not done with modern ideas and structures, the USACE’s plan will surely fail!