HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – More than 40 volunteers gathered in Waialua over the weekend to clear mangroves along Ki‘iki‘i Stream, a waterway known to overflow during heavy rain.
The community-led effort brought together residents, farmers, heavy equipment operators and volunteers from Team Rubicon to remove vegetation and debris blocking the stream.
Waialua resident Kalei Gamiao said the community had been asking for permission to clear the area for more than 30 years.
“We’ve been asking for over 30 years, and it’s about time that we were allowed to be able to do this,” Gamiao said. “Somebody got to do it. We got to do it. But together, that’s how we’re going to do it in the whole community.”
The goal is to improve water flow, reduce flooding and clear more than a mile of mangroves along the stream to its outlet at the ocean.
Gamiao and his father, Derek Gamiao, helped lead the project. They said the effort took years to organize because they needed permission from the landowners, Gilman Estate.
The urgency to clear the stream increased during the Kona low storms in March, Gamiao said. The waterway serves as an outlet for runoff from surrounding areas.
Three months ago, volunteers cleared the opposite side of the stream, which is owned by a different private landowner.
Joey Cadiz, a Waialua farmer who volunteered for the effort, said the work is driven by a commitment to the community and the land.
“You’re not going to get some big check at the end of this or anything,” Cadiz said. “This is for the love of the land, for the love of our people, and making sure that everybody’s safe in these areas.”
Cadiz joined the chainsaw crew, cutting vegetation that heavy machinery had difficulty reaching.
State Reps. Amy Perruso and Sean Quinlan, along with Honolulu City Council Member Matt Weyer, also contributed to the effort by donating more than $2,000 in fuel for the machinery.
Gamiao said clearing the vegetation is an important step, but additional work may be needed to address the stream’s capacity.
“When you see streams like this start to choke up, it’s because there is no river left,” Gamiao said. “We’re moving that out and hopefully we can get some sort of help with dredging it. That’s the most important part.”
Volunteers said they hope the work will help prepare the area for another rain system expected to move through the islands next week.
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