Rep. Sagum Meets with Community on Hanapepe Salt Ponds

The Kauai Garden Island reports today on Rep. Roland Sagum's meeting with the community to protect the Hanapepe Salt Ponds. Rep. Sagum is a freshman legislator from District 16 - Niihau, Lehua, Koloa, Waimea, who won the seat vacated by former Rep. Bertha Kawakami. He invited colleagues from the House Committee on Water, Land, Ocean Resources and Hawaiian Affairs - Rep. Ken Ito, chair, and Rep. Pono Chong, vice-chair - to listen to the discussion and to answer legislative questions.

Rep. Sagum introduced a bill last session to protect the salt ponds. The bill didn't make it through, but he plans to introduce another bill in 2008. From the Garden Island story, here's the gist of the problem:

“There’s so much development going on around here that it’s affecting the salt,” said Kuulei Santos, a salt maker who has carried on her family’s tradition.

Santos explained that water travels underground into wells about 4 feet deep. The salt makers transfer the water into beds made from black clay. The beds are about 4 feet by 3 feet and sun-baked. When the water crystallizes it forms salt. Though listed on the State Historic Preservation Register, there are no physical structures protecting the low-lying area from the activity around it. According to Santos, an area between the parking lot and beach was backfilled with old asphalt, which has disrupted the drainage of water to the beds. In addition, the neighboring Port Allen airport has undergone some development, Kaalani Road running alongside the ponds is eroding, and mud from the cane fields flows downhill to the ponds during the rainy season.

“There’s so much development going on around here that it’s affecting the salt,” said Kuulei Santos, a salt maker who has carried on her family’s tradition. Santos explained that water travels underground into wells about 4 feet deep. The salt makers transfer the water into beds made from black clay. The beds are about 4 feet by 3 feet and sun-baked. When the water crystallizes it forms salt.

Though listed on the State Historic Preservation Register, there are no physical structures protecting the low-lying area from the activity around it. According to Santos, an area between the parking lot and beach was backfilled with old asphalt, which has disrupted the drainage of water to the beds. In addition, the neighboring Port Allen airport has undergone some development, Kaalani Road running alongside the ponds is eroding, and mud from the cane fields flows downhill to the ponds during the rainy season.