From the President’s Desk
SEA LEVEL RISE SLR SOLUTIONS For those Outrigger Canoe Club members over 40, you may remember a very dierent beach front:
could be placed in between the current OCC sea wall where the main beach stairs lead to the ocean. This structure would prevent waves from rushing into the property during high tides and high surf, and could be taken down when not needed. Groundwater Inundation Wells and Pumps. Groundwater inundation caused by SLR is currently leading to coastal inundation throughout O‘ahu. This may very likely already be an OCC problem that is largely hidden from view under the property. Inundation Wells are currently being constructed in Waikīkī to measure the extent of the issue and pumps are commonly used to mitigate groundwater inundation. All of us on the coast should embrace this relatively simple monitoring and mitigation solution. These are just some of the many real solutions to the formidable Sea Level Rise threat. Other coastal communities such as Miami, New York and Boston have already initiated mitigation projects. OCC is committed to focusing on viable and practical solutions, beginning with forming an SLR coalition with the Elks and Colony Surf. Kicking this can down the road is a bad plan which will only lead to continued hardships and sacrifices, and ultimately cost much more in the long run. 1
• A continuous sandy beach stretched past the Elks along the Gold Coast. • Standing on the beach, one could lean over the Hau Terrace sea wall to sip a cocktail or grab French fries. • There was no problem getting the canoes up and down the main beach stairs. • The beach itself was expansive enough to hold a ton of kids, families and canoes! There is no question that Sea-level
Rise (SLR) is here and it’s projected to get much worse in the coming decades. Recent data from renowned researchers at NOAA and the University of Hawai‘i suggest in 30 years we should expect at least one foot of sea-level rise and OCC will have no dry public beach. King Tides and high surf will undoubtedly reach over onto the Hau Terrace and up the center stairs into our beach area. The critical and universal SLR question is how to adapt to the anticipated coastal changes. Thankfully there are several viable mitigation options which OCC is currently evaluating. Some of these include: T-shaped Groins. With groins, we can largely design the shape and size of our future beach! Groins form oshore barriers designed to change the directional energy of waves. Correctly designed, groins can greatly enhance and stabilize Kapua beach fronting the Club. While the process of building groins is complicated and time-consuming, there are major planning initiatives underway to redesign beach areas using groins in Waikīkī. In partnership with our neighbors, the Elks and Colony Surf, our goal should be to address our shared issues together while maneuvering through the bureaucratic process more eciently. In fact, beach improvements around the state are becoming defacto public-private partnerships to restore and maintain public beach areas. Sea Wall Bridge. As the ocean rises and waves begin to encroach further mauka, a temporary structure
Laurie Foster President
1 Hawai‘i Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission. 2017. Hawai‘i Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report. Prepared by Tetra Tech, Inc. and the State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Oce of Conservation and Coastal Lands. https://climateadaptation.hawaii.gov/wp-content/ uploads/2017/12/SLR-Report_Dec2017.pdf
4 AMA | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022
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