Concerns raised A private refuse hauler wants to place a landfill in former pineapple land in Kunia, raising concerns by some City Council members and others because it would be above the Pearl Harbor ground-water aquifer.
over plan for
Kunia landfill
The site is above an aquifer,
posing water- contamination worriesBy Gordon Y.K. Pang
gpang@starbulletin.com
The Council Planning Committee voted 3-2 yesterday for a resolution that would have the Department of Planning and Permitting study the proposal to put a landfill at Puumaialau Gulch, less than a mile from Kunia Road across from the Hawaii Country Club. The proposal must get several more approvals before reaching the full Council for a final OK.
The state Health Department submitted written testimony yesterday raising "serious concerns" about the location.
And while the city administration is willing to study the proposal, Environment Services Director Tim Steinberger said sites above aquifers historically have not been considered by the city.
But Brennan Morioka, a senior engineer for URS Corp., said his company has expertise on the mainland developing safe landfills near aquifers.
"What we've proposed, and our client is supportive of this, is we'd go with a double-liner system, which is basically a redundant system of what is the minimum requirement," Morioka said.
URS is working for Honolulu Disposal Service, one of the state's largest commercial waste-disposal companies.
Morioka acknowledged that the city Board of Water Supply and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also have raised concerns but that URS is working to resolve them.
URS proposes a commercial-materials recovery facility at a 250-acre site that could recycle from 50 percent to 80 percent of what is processed. The remaining waste would be placed in a landfill of about 60 to 70 acres, Morioka said. He estimated the entire operation would take up about 100 acres, with the rest used as a buffer.
City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi said she introduced the resolution because she wants the city to explore potential landfill sites. She noted the uproar by Waianae-area residents over plans to extend the life of the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill at Kahe Point.
Kobayashi said she would not approve a landfill on the site if there is no assurance that the aquifer would be safe from contamination.
Planning Chairman Gary Okino also said he wants to explore the idea given the controversy over landfills. Councilman John Henry Felix was the third person voting for the resolution yesterday.
Opposed to the measure were Darrlyn Bunda and Steve Holmes.
Holmes noted that the city is also considering a materials recovery facility at Waimanalo Gulch, and he suggested that the private operator could partner with the city there.
"That certainly would be a much better location, in an industrial area, rather than putting it over a potable aquifer," Holmes said.
City & County of Honolulu
