Oyster project aims to enrich water quality at Pearl Harbor ADVERTISING Oyster project aims to enrich water quality at Pearl Harbor HONOLULU (AP) — The Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources will attempt to enrich water quality around Pearl Harbor by
Oyster project aims to enrich water quality at Pearl Harbor
HONOLULU (AP) — The Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources will attempt to enrich water quality around Pearl Harbor by expanding its oyster-growing project.
The department announced Tuesday that its oyster project is going well and will be expanded. Several thousand oysters have been grown in Pearl Harbor’s West Loch throughout the past year.
The saltwater mollusks are known to naturally remove microorganisms and nutrients from the water and help prevent oxygen depletion that can kill fish.
Analytical Services President Paul Bienfang, who is overseeing the experiment, said the oysters provide an opportunity for a natural “bioremediation” to increase water clarity and allow light to penetrate throughout the water depths, which will enable bottom-dwelling aquatic communities to make a comeback.
West Loch oysters throughout the past year have thrived to the point where they have been growing in population at least 10 percent a week, Bienfang said.
“It appears the first step in this natural remediation has been successful,” he said.
National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration estimated that oysters at one time were able to filter all the water in the bay in about a week. However, over-harvesting, disease and habitat loss led to a sharp decline in oyster numbers. It now takes the current oyster population about a year to filter the same amount of water.
Several thousand more oysters will be introduced into West Loch during the project’s next phase, including a different species, the Eastern oyster, to go along with the Pacific oysters already growing at Pearl Harbor, Division of Aquatic Resources Administrator Bruce Anderson said.
The state spent $100,000 for the one-year study and will apply for grants for several hundred thousand more, Anderson said.
“It’s all about environmental restoration,” Anderson said.
Hawaii wildfire threatens endangered snail
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu Fire Capt. David Jenkins says a wildfire on the north shore of Oahu will probably burn for a few days and could harm an endangered species.
The fire grew from about 3 acres Wednesday morning to 400 acres in the afternoon as it headed toward the state Mokuleia Forest Reserve and Pahole Natural Area Reserve.
The fire threatens endangered Kahuli, or Hawaiian tree snails, and a rare dry forest and mesic forest.
Multiple water tankers and helicopters are being used to control and extinguish the blaze.
Department of Land and Natural Resources officers are turning hikers and bikers away from the Mokuleia Forest Reserve access road to Peacock Flats campground.
Honolulu council gives rail project authority to issue bonds
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu’s financially troubled rail transit project will be able to issue bonds to keep it afloat through the end of the year — a move that rail officials said was critical to keep construction from stopping.
The City Council approved a bill Wednesday to allow the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation to issue the bonds.
Rail officials said the project would run out of money in January without a cash infusion, and without the bonds it would have to begin shutting down operations this August.
The project, with cost estimates up to $10 billion, faces a funding shortfall of as much as $3 billion after the Legislature ended its session without agreeing on a way to fully fund it. The planned 20-mile, 21-station rail line is intended to alleviate traffic from Oahu’s West side. Honolulu ranks among the worst in the nation for traffic congestion.
The federal government is waiting for the city to explain how it will close the funding gap. If a viable plan isn’t presented soon, the Federal Transit Administration could pull its promised $1.55 billion from the project and demand the return of more than $700 million in federal dollars already spent.
Krishniah Murthy, interim executive director of the project, said he expects to receive a letter from the federal government stating that the rail project isn’t in compliance with the federal funding agreement.
“It is critical because the FTA needs to know it has the support of the council” and that there’s a dedicated funding source, Murthy said.
The bill passed by the City Council does not include a dollar amount, but rail officials say they’ll need about $350 million in bonds to get through the fiscal year.
Critic Natalie Iwasa pushed back on the plan, saying costs have spiraled out of control.
“I think at this point we desperately need accountability,” Iwasa said.
“Who was minding the store? Who was watching the books?” asked Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi, who voted against the proposal.
Bonds issued in the next year would not address the looming long-term shortfall but would solve the short-term problem of supplying cash to enable rail construction to continue.
It’s unclear exactly how much money in bonds rail officials will seek to issue. The rail project board postponed voting on a proposal to seek $350 million in bonds in May after some board members said they should seek up to $2 billion in bonds instead.
Councilman Ikaika Anderson voted for the proposal, saying that killing the project would cost money and he’s unwilling to spend more to shut the system down and leave taxpayers with nothing in return.
