Foes say bigger harbor
By Gary Kubota
would hurt turtles, surf
Star-BulletinMAALAEA, Maui -- Gabriela Barrett fears the number of green sea turtles will diminish if their feeding grounds off a south Maui reef are destroyed because of a proposed expansion at Maalaea Harbor.
As a Maui resident and spokeswoman for the Surfrider Foundation, Barrett says, "We're totally opposed to the plan in its current form."
Groups opposing the harbor expansion say there are flaws in the plan being developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
A demonstration organized by the Surfrider Foundation and Save Our Surf was scheduled at the harbor today to underscore their support for the reef.
The proposal to expand the harbor follows complaints by boaters about dangerous ocean swells that occasionally enter the harbor during storms.
State officials also want to expand the 87-berth harbor to accommodate boaters on a waiting list.
The Army corps has proposed extending the 220-foot-long breakwater an additional 400 feet, enabling the harbor to accommodate up to 220 slips.
The proposal would eliminate a sandy beach used by outrigger canoes and surfers for ocean access, and a coral reef.
The corps said the plan will eliminate a surfing site known as "Off-the-Wall."
Surfers fear it will also affect other surfing sites, including the "Maalaea Pipeline," a place featured in some publications as the fastest wave in the world.
Environmentalists say support for preserving the reef is growing, as shown by the objections about the corps' draft report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Agency official David Tomsovik said the objections stem from no clear explanation about how the corps will abide with state or federal water quality standards, in view of increasing boat traffic.
Tomsovik said the agency also is seriously worried about the loss of coral-reef habitat.
"We believe the Army didn't show that all means have been taken to avoid or minimize the loss of this coral-reef habitat," Tomsovik said.
The agency suggests the corps look at improving navigational safety through modified operation practices by boaters, and the dry storage of boats.
Paul Achitoff, managing attorney for the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, criticized the corps for continuing to adhere to the same alternative it had in 1994.
"The corps just puts down its head and plows forward," Achitoff said. "That's how it has been for many years."
Achitoff said the main motivation seems to be to secure $8 million in federal construction funds for the project, regardless of its environmental impact.
Corps spokesman Larry Hawthorne said the corps is continuing to analyze various alternatives, but coming up with the same proposal after more study confirms it is the right one.
"We're not in rut," he said.
Hawthorne said once the report is complete, the state will decide whether to proceed with construction.
