Within about a half hour early this morning, Waialae Beach Park went from normal to flood zone!
Although a flash flood watch was in effect, it was just drizzling. But apparently rain in the mountains was rushing downstream and hit just a few minutes later.
When we returned after only about a half-hour, the stream had already overflowed its banks and water was rapidly rising. With the mouth of the stream blocked by a sand bar, the water had nowhere to go except up over the banks and into the park. The parking lot was flooding, threatening to trap the remaining cars.
And as the stream rose to the level of the bridge on Kahala Avenue, trash and debris flowing down from the mountains began to form a huge, gross garbage patch. And more was on its way!
By the time I left, it appeared the water level in the parking lot had dropped a few inches, probably the result of the sand bar giving way and the stream starting to flow into the ocean. Yes, carrying all that garbage with it.
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Good to get this in the media as it is a constant reoccurring problem, and health hazard, that needs a better solution. Thanks.
What time did the stream mouth open? I’m trying to create a timeline of what happened & when. Around 745 am the stream was overtopping the canal walls just mauka on Kealaolu Place and the golf course. By 830, when we walked to the park, the the stream had opened and the canal water level had dropped. From the line on the footbridge, it looks like the water reached about 20″ to 21″ above the canal wall on the ewa side of the canal. Some people had fish in their yards.