The Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor got some much needed care Saturday morning as a newly formed non-profit organization joined with other volunteers to clean up the water after it was choked with trash and debris caused by recent storm runoff.
“It gets bad all the time when it rains hard things get washed into the rivers and it gets washed out of the rivers when it rains real hard,” said boat owner Robert Sinclair.
According one concerned resident, this is an on-going problem he wants fixed, which lead Frank Ruiz to start the non-profit Puma Punku Ocean Cleanup operation and aims to expand all over the state.
“We want to try and make a company that is a long lasting and long term company that will clean Hawaii’s waters statewide and even the northwest atolls that’s my goal is to get out there with a big ship,” said Ruiz.
Ruiz, the president of the operation, and his team of longshoreman along with other volunteers spent the entire morning clearing the Ala Wai Harbor of everything they could find.
“In order for us to maintain it for our future it’s important that we keep it clean so that future generations can enjoy this beautiful land that we live in,” said Puma Punku Ocean Cleanup volunteer Wilsam Keanaaina.
Their cleanup efforts resulted in two dumpsters filled to the brim. Sinclair says this is something he and other boat owners will get behind.
“I’ve seen it this bad regularly and thanks to these guys they did a top notch job,” Sinclair said.
Ruiz and his crew plan to expand their operation to include barges, cranes and jet skis, saying their cleanup of the harbor is a strong beginning.
