Teams of Department of Land and Natural Resources and Army Corps of Engineers experts plan to inspect all dams and reservoirs on Maui, the Big Island and O'ahu within a four-day period, an official said yesterday.

"The schedule is being finalized," DLNR chairman Peter Young said. "The intent is, potentially within four days when they start, we'd be able to complete the entire state."

The project follows inspections of Kaua'i dams ordered after the March 14 failure of the Kaloko Dam, in which three people were killed and four others remain missing.

Young said four teams will be sent to inspect Maui County's 51 dams and reservoirs. At the same time, two other teams will be inspecting 13 reservoirs and dams on the Big Island. When the Big Island work is completed, the two teams will come to O'ahu to inspect 16 dams and reservoirs here, Young said.

Inspections on Kaua'i were completed Thursday. There are 54 dams and reservoirs on the Garden Island.

Inspectors plan to return to Kaua'i to take another look at the Alexander Reservoir, 2 1/2 miles inland from Kalaheo, and the "twin reservoirs," about the same distance mauka from Kapa'a. Both are privately owned. There's no imminent danger of a break but inspectors want to look at erosion near reservoirs, said Ray Lovell of state Civil Defense.

Inspectors normally use a helicopter to do a visual assessment and take photos of reservoirs and dams before going in on foot, so weather is a factor in the upcoming inspections.

In other developments, about 25 Kaua'i farmers inquired about the federal agricultural disaster relief declaration requested by Gov. Linda Lingle on Friday. Sandra Lee Kunimoto, chairwoman of the state Board of Agriculture, yesterday said 15 of those 25 farmers will likely file applications.

Lingle sent a request for disaster designation to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns due to crop damage that occurred on Kaua'i and O'ahu between Feb. 20 and yesterday. A disaster declaration by Johanns would make farmers eligible for federal low-interest loans.

"The state is already processing emergency low-interest loans for affected farmers and the disaster declaration will bring additional resources and aid," Kunimoto said.

The request to the secretary was based on preliminary data, collected by state and federal agriculture officials, that meet the criteria of at least 30 percent crop losses on Kaua'i and O'ahu.

And state transportation director Rod Haraga yesterday said his department is sending portable traffic control monitoring devices to Kaua'i to assist police on Highway 56. The traffic signal instruments should arrive tomorrow, Haraga said.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.