Honolulu City Council Ewa Plains Karst Resolution Induced Complete Fear And Paranoia
John Bond Kanehili Cultural Hui
In November 2012 this resolution below created complete fear and paranoia in the Honolulu City Council, which would not even ALLOW a vote on it! It struck very great fear in the hearts of the major Ewa Plain land developers who did NOT want the issue of karst and what it was to be mentioned or considered even in a resolution which is basically an acknowledgement and not a BILL.
Lots of phone calls with land developers and well drillers turning out to WARN the City Council to NOT EVEN CONSIDER this resolution below. This included having the City's Corporate Council ALSO warn the City Council Members to stay completely AWAY from this resolution!
Read it and find out why the study and acknowledgement of the Ewa Plain karst system is extremely dangerous concept that must NOT be scientifically studied...
RECOGNIZING THE CULTURAL,
HISTORIC AND SCIENTIFIC VALUE OF THE KARST WATER AQUIFER ECO-SYSTEM OF THE EWA
PLAINS, WEST OAHU
WHEREAS, the Ewa
Plains are part of the greater ahupua'a of Honouliuli and consist of
approximately 50 square miles located on the southwest corner of the
island of Oahu; and
WHEREAS, the Ewa
Plains consist of a topography known as "karst," characterized by a
porous, permeable coralline reef deposit formed at least 100,000 years ago during
at least three high stands of sea level,
and then tapering back as it encounters the ancient lava flows of the Waianae
Mountains; and
WHEREAS,
the international community uses the European name "karst" to refer
to topography that is a geological formation of carbonate limestone rock, and approximately 20 percent of the United
States is underlain by various types of karst aquifers; and
WHEREAS, scientists
have determined that the Ewa Plains karst water system is part of what is known as the Ghyben-Herzberg
water lens; and
WHEREAS, a
hydrological study commissioned by the Honolulu Department of Environmental
Services determined that the Ewa Plains karst water system is very permeable
and transmissive; and
WHEREAS, Ewa
Plains subterranean caverns have been found to be as large as railway cars, containing
stalactites and stalagmites, made of a beautiful milky-white sparkling mineral
called calcite, which is highly prized by mineral collectors; and
WHEREAS, the Ewa Plains karst is a hydrologically
connected waterway and natural aquifer filtering system that transfers
nutrients and organic carbon to downstream food webs; however, uncontrolled points of pollution can
contaminate and overwhelm the natural filters, causing polluted waters to flow
into the sea and damage aquatic shoreline populations and related coastal
fisheries; and
WHEREAS, through
the centuries, the Hawaiians used the Ewa Plains karst water-fed sinkholes for cultural purposes such as micro
agricultural sites for bananas, gourds and ti leaves, and in otherwise arid
areas, the underground waterways supported large groves of native Hawaiian
trees and culturally important native plants; and
WHEREAS, complex
Ewa Plains karst aquifers, channels, caves and cavern systems allow underground
water streams to emerge and disappear as the water travels towards the sea,
creating in some areas habitats for native Hawaiian shrimp; and
WHEREAS,
Ewa Plains karst caves may also create hazardous conditions because they may exist
just a few feet below the ground surface, and may open up as potentially large
and dangerous sinkholes if disturbed or weakened, but these hazardous
conditions may be located and appropriately mitigated by using below ground
scanning technologies; and
WHEREAS, because
karst is recognized and studied worldwide by universities, institutes and
organizations, it presents an opportunity in West Oahu for cultural and eco tourism,
scientific research grants, community educational endeavors, and the bringing
together of Hawaiian cultural practitioners, teachers and scientists to discuss
native Hawaiian flora, fauna, aquatic resources, and to study Hawaiian cultural
histories and scientific geological and hydrological facts; and
WHEREAS, federal bureaus
such as the United States Fish & Wildlife Service have funded projects to
restore Ewa Plains karst sinkholes and have demonstrated that Hawaiian
freshwater shrimp can be restocked and can flourish in these unique karst
sinkhole habitats, providing working environments for education and training; now,
therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by
the Council of the City and County of Honolulu that it supports recognition of
the Ewa Plains karst as an important aquifer water system, and supports cultural
history studies and ecological and hydrological research related to the Ewa
Plains karst; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Administration, the State of Hawaii,
and the United States government are urged to recognize and further study the
cultural, historic and scientific opportunities of the Ewa Plains Karst system;
and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that copies of this Resolution be transmitted to
the Mayor, the Governor, the President of the United States, the Commander of
United States Pacific Command, the Hawaii Community Development Authority, the
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
