Residents are concerned about concrete solutions for Wailupe Creek

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Concerns are mounting over the future of Wailupe Creek, which fishpond experts consider the last major living stream in eastern Honolulu.

On a sunny day at Wailupe Creek, a native ‘auku’u bird hunts for food, but the watershed has suffered catastrophic flooding.

In 2018, a storm surge sent a wave of water over Kalanianaole Highway and the creek overflowed, devastating nearby homes.

“It was like a wall of water. It came through here and took out sections of the wall,” said Chris Cramer, a Wailupe resident and fish pond expert.

In 2021, another flood overwhelmed residents.

On Wednesday, the Honolulu City Council approved a resolution authorizing a cost-sharing agreement between the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a study to mitigate flood risks in the Wailupe Basin, but Cramer and others oppose it.

“They completely ignored consultation with the fishermen and the Native Hawaiian community who have used this creek as their icebox for generations,” Cramer said.

Cramer is concerned about finding a concrete solution like the one seen in other East Oahu creeks.

“If you look at other creeks in Maunalua Bay, they’re all extinct. There’s no life in those cement creeks,” Cramer said.

In the resolution, the city will pay the Army Corps of Engineers half of the estimated $1.5 million study.

“The Corps has evolved a lot in over 20 years, actually over 120 years,” said Michael Salyer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the City’s Department of Design and Construction say they plan to engage with the community.

“We sat here and heard some of the concerns here in this room and I will reflect those,” Salyer said.

But Cramer is skeptical and hopes for more natural solutions to protect the Wailupe River watershed.

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