More than nine months after the Ka Loko Reservoir breach created an environmental disaster that killed seven, the episode looms large and remains contentious.

Bruce Fehring — who lost two relatives and five friends who lived in his homes on the Wailapa Stream that were swept away in the flooding — filed a lawsuit against retired Honolulu car dealer James Pflueger, who owns the land under the reservoir.

The government has tried unsuccessfully to find a spillway that could have prevented the breaching, but Pflueger’s attorneys say one exists.

The tragedy, though, had its roots months before — thanks to a record 40 days of rain which contributed to widespread flooding across the island.

The strain proved too much for Ka Loko, and when the dam failed, hundreds of millions of gallons of water surged down the Wailapa Stream toward Kilauea on sunrise March 14, first overwhelming the already bloated Morita Reservoir then slamming into a cluster of homes where the victims slept, sweeping the structures off their foundations.

The 20-foot stream cut a 100-yard swath, closed Kuhio Highway and sealed the North Shore off from the rest of the island.

Entire groves of trees were wiped out and redeposited downstream in huge piles of broken limbs, trunks, refrigerators and cars.

So much happened so fast, the island hardly knew where to turn its attention.

read more …

(Source: Kauai Garden Island News)