Seven Silt Islands:There are seven silt islands about a mile in from the Waimea bridge. Each build up is a different size and presents its own challenges for removal. The silt islands are the result of low and decreasing water levels caused by heavy water diversion and natural occurrences. In the past, the constant flow of water from mauka to makai would push out any silt that comes down the river due to erosion or heavy rain. Today, silt that makes its way down the river or erodes from the sides and settles in the center or along the banks, changing the natural flow of our river to the ocean.
Our current efforts are on the first island just mauka of the Waimea Swinging Bridge. It measured 295 feet long by 45 feet wide and 5 feet tall when our class went out to the site to investigate the problem on January 27th, 2017. We have taken several class trips to the silt island site to begin the silt removal process by hand and then hosted our first community event on March 11th and 12th this year. We will be hosting another community work day event on Saturday, April 29th, 2017. Please see the event page to pre-register or just come out to join us!!! |
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