FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                    March14, 2006

CITY CREWS REMOVE WINDWARD STANDING WATER

            As heavy rain continues in Windward Oahu, City Department of Environmental Services crews are working overtime to pump water out of flooded yards and other areas in the hard-hit community of Kaaawa.

            State officials asked for the assistance to remove water from low-lying areas in case of more flooding and to minimize potential health problems. With the approval of the state Department of Health, the water is being emptied into a nearby ditch, rather than being hauled to the nearest sewage treatment plants miles away in Kaneohe or Kailua.

            At the Health Department’s request, City workers have posted contaminated water signs near the ditch and along the shore where it empties into the ocean.

            “Like most Windward communities north of Kaneohe, Kaaawa is not served by our  municipal sewer system and relies on cesspools and septic tanks,”  said Eric Takamura, director of environmental services. “Our people have been working double shifts for several weeks to pump out overflowing cesspools and standing water.

            “What we’re pumping now is mostly runoff. However, because we cannot be sure if the excess waters we are pumping includes wastewater from overflowing cesspools, we are posting the signs

as a precaution.”

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Contact:

            Eric Takamura, 692-5159

            Mark Matsunaga, 527-5767