HONOLULU, Aug. 27 (UPI) — World-famous Waikiki Beach reopened Wednesday after water quality tests showed the ocean remains safe for swimmers, two days after a massive sewage spill put the breaks on frolicking in the water.
The Hawaii State Department of Health authorized warning and “no swimming” signs removed along Waikiki beaches and Ala Moana Beach Park, even though a brown water advisory warning is still in effect.
“We recognize at both the state and county level that, in terms of our economy, there’s nothing is more important than Waikiki, so we wanted to make sure that this event was over in basically a few days,” Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said. “We have the most beautiful beaches and our Waikiki resort destination is one of the most fantastic in the world.”
Keith Kawaoka, who heads the Department of Health’s Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response Office, said water quality was tested in 20 areas after heavy rain Sunday night caused some 129,000 gallons of raw sewage to overflow from manhole covers and enter storm drains into the ocean. The state Department of Environmental Services originally said 500,000 gallons spilled.
Kawaoka said tests showed Ala Moana Beach Park and the stretch of Waikiki from Kahanamoku Beach, near the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, to Kapahulu Avenue were never impacted by the spill. Other areas, such as Ala Wai Harbor and Kewalo Basin, are still under warnings.
“We will still do additional testing and monitoring in those areas,” Kawaoka said. “The public is advised to avoid contact with waters within the warning signs that are posted.”
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