State plans to State officials plan to pump about 20,000 cubic yards of sand from offshore onto Waikiki Beach next year to combat coastal erosion.
replace lost sand
at Kuhio Beach
The project to add 20,000 yards
Storm drains likely cause
of sand to fight Waikiki Beach erosion
is expected to cost about $500,000By Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.comThe state would need roughly $500,000 from the 2002 Legislature to proceed with the project, said Sam Lemmo, the state coastal lands manager.
Lemmo said the sand replenishment project will take place at Kuhio Beach.
State officials said they had technical problems when they conducted a sand-pumping demonstration project at Kuhio from 2,000 feet offshore last year.
Lemmo said the state had expected to pump about 5,000 cubic yards but was able to pump only about 1,300 cubic yards.
"We're going to try a different type of system," Lemmo said.
He said Waikiki Beach was vital to Hawaii's economy."Without the sand, probably a major chunk of our economy would be in jeopardy," he said.
Lemmo said sections of the beach have become narrow, including an area fronting the Halekulani, and that some sand from Kuhio Beach has drifted toward the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
Meanwhile, Congress has approved spending for a $350,000 environmental impact study of Waikiki from the natatorium to the Hilton Hawaiian Village, including a look at redesigning the breakwater at Kuhio Beach.
Lemmo said he felt the breakwater could be improved to reduce coastal erosion.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to conduct the environmental study after completing an evaluation about the business value of Waikiki Beach and its importance to the Hawaii economy.
Lemmo said the evaluation would serve as the basis for further funding from the federal government.
George Downing, a spokesman for Save Our Surf, said his organization believes the sand for replenishing Waikiki should come from offshore sources, and that there was enough sand in submerged areas to replenish the beaches.
Decades ago, truckloads of sand from Molokai and Oahu's North Shore were brought in to replenish beaches in Waikiki.
Downing said some of the sand has drifted onto the nearby reef and surf sites and squid holes.
He said that while the beaches need to be preserved, the state also should protect the reef and surf sites that are used by residents and visitors.
"There's a balance. There are thousands of people who have learned to surf in Waikiki," Downing said. "It's a major asset of our state, and we've got to protect it."
Downing said that based on information from previous studies, his group wants to keep the existing design of the breakwater at Kuhio Beach and feels the state should not change it.
The proposed replenishing of Kuhio Beach involves: Saving a beach
How much: About $500,000 is being sought from the state Legislature.
The project: 20,000 cubic yards of sand -- weighing 30,000 tons which is enough to fill about 2,000 dump trucks -- will be pumped from the ocean floor to the beach.
WAILUKU >> Clearing sand from the mouths of storm drain channels may be contributing to coastal erosion in a large section of South Maui, according to preliminary information gathered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Cleared storm drains
likely cause of erosionThe Army Corps of Engineers
is studying land along MauiBy Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.comThe sand is deposited at the channels by the ocean, and taking it out prevents seasonal shifting along the coastline, said Corps project manager Jerry Cornell.
He said portions of South Maui may also be losing sand because of holes in the reef caused by explosions more than 50 years ago, when the military created channels for landing vessels.
During World War II a large number of military personnel trained in South Maui, including underwater demolition teams.
Cornell said the Corps is scheduled to complete its reconnaissance study next month.
The $75,000 study is to show a map of submerged land from Kalama Park to Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge and historic information about the changes in the topography.
Cornell said the study will be sent to the Corps' office in Washington, D.C., to determine whether federal officials should proceed with a feasibility study.
Maui County Public Works Director David Goode said he was in favor of plugging the holes in the reef if they were causing a loss of sand.
"They're certainly man-made," Goode said. "If there was a way to plug these pukas, that would be great."
Goode said the county cannot put the sand into ocean areas along the shoreline without permits from the Corps.
With help from the University of Hawaii Sea Grant Program, the county plans to evaluate several community proposals to re-nourish coastline areas. Goode said his department will be issuing requests for proposals to use $100,000 for erosion study and prevention.
He said the county was looking at land sources for sand but did not want to discount looking for offshore sand to replenish beaches.
Goode said there may be sources of sand near breaks in coral reefs caused by the explosions.
The county put more than 2,000 cubic yards of sand on the beaches along a section of Halama Street in South Maui last year. The sand, originally from dredging waters at Keawakapu boat landing, had been stored at the nearby Veterans of Foreign Wars site.
Halama Street homeowner Mickey Palmer said the new sand has allowed people to walk along the beach to Kalama Park at low tide.
"It's really nice," she said.