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L7rl~versity Terrace If the county takes what was naturally sheet flow and directs it into channels at ever-higher elevations, won't that just make problems worse for people living downstream by adding to the volume of water in streams at lower elevations`? The question was posed to Ben Ishu of the county Department of Public Works. Ishii is the county engineer working most closely with the Corps of Engineers in designing future flood control projects. Ishii responded by pointing out that sooner or later, most sheet flow ends up in drainage channels such as Waiakea and Alenaio anyway. Directing flows to the channels upstream would not create any real problem, he said. "You could inci-rase both the vohime and peak flows ifyou induce nu~~ r~ water to come into the channel at the peak ~flola~ time. You could be producing a double whanuny." -Ri~kFoi~rt~rine, U.SC~S Yet Fontaine of the USGS had a slightly different take. "Anytime you put in an artificial channel to direct or deter runoff, you're probably reducing the time it takes the water to get to the channel," he said. "So you have a timing issue as well, now. If you have a heavy rain in the watershed, your peak flow wID occur at a certain time that has to do with how long it takes water to get into the channel. Depending on how you alter the natural timing, you could lower or raise peak flows. You could increase both the volume and peak flows ifyou induce more water to come into the channel at the peak flow time. You could be producing a double whammy, because you make that water get into the channel faster than it otherwise would." On the other hand, Fontaine added, if the planning were done right, "you could also reduce peak flows" by adding artificial channels. In the meantime, draft revisions to the Hawaii County General Plan would steer the county in the direction of greater flood plain protection and other more natural ways of protecting structures against floods. Whether the result will be anything more than exhortatory is in the face of pressure from the Corps of Engineers, the Department of Public Works, and the vast army of private and public agencies whose livelihood depends on harder solutions anyone's guess. Patricia Tummons According to Peter Boucher, who is in charge of sewers for the County of Hawaii, approximately forty percent of Hilo is on cesspools. The US Forest service is constructing a huge building neaz the University of Hawau HIlo. They were required to put in a septic system because the sewer system in that azea (near the proposed University Terrace) was inadequate. It seems to me that before we give permission to build University Terrace the County needs to invest millions of dollars and many years into expanding and improving our inadequate sewer system.