Nuuanu Reservior

Dec 2012

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any injuries, arrests, fines or trials as a result of any readers hiking around Nuuanu Reservior. It is legal for hunters to hunt ferel pigs with bows and arrows. It is not legal for swimmers to swim in the reservior. Please visit the state offices to obtain the proper permits to access this area. Permit qualifications are subject to change and tampering with the water supply is an illegal offense. Please do not harass or interfere with Board of Water supply workers while hunting or hiking. Such harassment can result in an official ban of all persons from area irreguardless of permit. Don’t forget to sign in at the mailbox outside of Nuuanu Hunting Grounds and keep your permit with you. It rains often so you may want to carry it, cell phone and emergency radios in a ziplock bag to keep them from getting damaged.

I would like to raise awareness about water conservation on the over populated island of Oahu. The purpose of this blog entry is to address Oahu’s dwindling water supply. The Nuuanu Reservior feeds the city of Honolulu and it was virtually dry when I visited it back in December 2012. (Although it has filled up about 6 inches since then.)  I feel the need to address this issue so that we may get a proper answer from out state government about whether this island is in drought and how to deal with that serious situation.

In case you are wondering, the water is not suppose to be that low.

The water has receded leaving dried patches of ground which use to be 6 feet underwater. Little clams have been laid bare onto grassy fields. It was peculiar to see both shells and flowers sitting side by side.

The location of the watermark on this photo is also the location of the redline on this tower.  That red line indicates that the water levels are dangerously low. This water level is well below that red line. There was once 10 feet of water where I stood.

The fish are dying. I didn’t even know we had fish in our water reservior.

Last year this entire area was under 10 feet of water. Now a field grows in place of the water.

I didn’t know there was such a thing as freshwater spiral snail shells.

They were also dead

The water is so shallow that I could fall and break a bone.

I walked up into the forest

This is the back of the water reservior. This is not good. That is all mud. Its not water. All of the water is gone.

This entire area was a huge lake last year.

The greeness of the pasture takes away from the seriousness of the problem. You may think “Its green, its not a drought.” That’s precisely the problem. There is suppose to be a 10 foot deep lake in this area so that the city of Honolulu can have water. Its not here anymore.

Its all dried out

This arrow symbolizes the conquest of man over the land. It was left behind by a hunter who apparently was too lazy to pick up after himself. However I find that we as a society find it just as equally an inconvenience to educate the public on water conservation and to practice water conservation. The end result is drought. With such a hefty population on Oahu depending on the little valuable resources that are left, one has to wonder: When will we wake up?

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