HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	219
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

Recognizing the Genki Ala Wai Project for its efforts to help restore and revitalize the Ala Wai Canal.

WHEREAS, the Genki Ala Wai Project was established in 2019 with a goal of making the Ala Wai Canal fishable and swimmable in seven years; and

WHEREAS, the Genki Ala Wai Project uses "genki balls," or mud balls, containing microorganisms that decompose harmful chemicals and microbes; and

WHEREAS, the Genki Ala Wai Project has brought together numerous stakeholders throughout the Ala Wai watershed and has helped schools develop place-based STEM collaborations with Hawaiian cultural practitioners, allowing students to complete service-learning through actual environmental revitalization; and

WHEREAS, genki balls were first tossed into the Ala Wai Canal by volunteers aboard the Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hokulea on April 22, 2019, and nine hundred eighty more were tossed by students from Jefferson Elementary School and Ala Wai Elementary School in November 2019; and

WHEREAS, since the initial toss, more than one hundred fifteen thousand genki balls have been tossed at the specific locations in the Ala Wai Canal where water quality is regularly monitored, accounting for one-third of the three hundred thousand genki balls expected to be tossed by 2026; and

WHEREAS, the Genki Ala Wai Project's efforts have led to a reduction of odor, a decrease in sludge height, and an improvement in water quality at Ala Wai Canal test sites; and

WHEREAS, the water in the Ala Wai Canal will eventually find its way to the Ala Moana Beach Park area, which is heavily used for recreational purposes; and

WHEREAS, the Surfrider Foundation's Blue Water Task Force monitors coastal waters and has found that the Magic Island canoe launch regularly has high levels of Enterococcus bacteria, finding in 2022 that only sixty percent of the samples collected met water quality standards set by the Department of Health; and

WHEREAS, in the past twelve months, the Blue Water Task Force has found that eighty-two percent of samples collected at the Magic Island canoe launch met the Department of Health water quality standards, showing a significant improvement in water quality for the collective watershed system; and

WHEREAS, with improved water quality, more native fish have been spotted in the Ala Wai Canal, including Aholehole, Weke, Papio, Moi, and schools of Amaama; and

WHEREAS, ultimately, the successful revitalization of the Ala Wai Canal can serve as a model for compromised waterways worldwide; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, that the Genki Ala Wai Project is recognized for its efforts to help restore and revitalize the Ala Wai Canal; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature expresses its Aloha, support, and best wishes for the Genki Ala Wai Project's continued success.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Genki Ala Wai Project; Ala Wai Canal; genki balls; Water Quality; Revitalization