KAILUA-KONA — Kahaluu Beach Park will likely remain closed at least until the end of this month as crews work to reroute pipes in the park.
The park closed indefinitely on Feb. 24 after less than 100 gallons of wastewater discharged on to the beach and into beach waters.
The discharge is attributed to a broken sewer cleanout found late that afternoon. Hawaii County Department of Parks and Recreation repaired that cleanout that same day.
On Thursday, Parks and Rec Director Charmaine Kamaka said the park remains closed.
“We’re shooting to finish re-routing of the pipes in the park by the end of the month,” she said.
She’s also still waiting on the latest bacteria levels.
The most recent results posted to the state’s Clean Water Branch water quality data table are from Feb. 21, three days before the discharge.
Kamaka said though that even if bacteria tests turn up a low reading, the park will remain closed until the pipes are rerouted.
That effort will consist of moving the pipes further away from the ocean.
“Because we’ve got to get them out of the ocean water, out of where the wave hits,” she said. “We’re going to move it further back.”
The waterline, she said, has moved up from when the pipes were first laid down. Formerly, she said, the pipeline was about 80 feet from the water.
All of the work to reroute the pipes will be in-house she said, with Parks and Rec plumbers, electricians and construction crew. Kamaka didn’t have an estimated price tag on the effort, but said the money for it is going to come out of the department’s maintenance and repair budget.
Those who rented facilities at the park have been relocated to other department facilities.
The state’s Clean Water Branch has posted new water data for Kamakahonu Beach, also called Kailua Pier Station D in the water quality data table.
Enterococci levels at that location tested at 2.3 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters, far below the state threshold for issuing advisories. The branch issued advisories for that location last week after levels tested above that threshold of 130 units per 100 milliliters.
As of 3:20 Thursday afternoon, no West Hawaii locations tested by the Clean Water Branch had enterococci levels above the state threshold.
Managing Editor Tom Hasslinger contributed to this report.