Restoration of the Hanalei Stream Bank on the island of Kauai, Hawaii is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
AECOM Technical Services, Inc. was contracted by the DLNR Engineering Division to design the current stream bank restoration project.
“What happened was, eventually the farmers started noticing less water coming into their farms. We need the volume to get around a bend where the inlet pipe is located. By losing water through part of the stream bank that breached, the farms and wildlife refuge have not received the volume of water they need,” said Ardalan Nikou, the senior engineer for the project.
UPDATE: Hanalei Stream on Kauai is again flowing freely and within its banks after the completion of a multi-million dollar stream restoration project.
Hanalei is one of only two EPA National Heritage rivers west of the Rockies. A breach in its bank 20 years ago diverted water from the stream and often flooded adjacent properties after heavy rains. This break also reduced stream flow entering an intake pipe that provides water for Hawaii’s largest taro growing complex, and habitat for endangered native birds within the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge.
On November 6, 2015, taro farmers, their families, local and state political leaders, engineers and construction workers joined in the commemoration of the end of work.