Hearing set for
Ala Wai silt disposal
A public hearing on disposal plans for the last 1 percent of silt dredged from the Ala Wai Canal will be held 6:30-8:30 p.m. July 11 at the Moanalua High School Cafeteria.
The hearing was announced this week by the state Department of Health's Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch, which must issue a permit approving state plans for about 1,800 cubic yards of dredge material from the Kapahulu end of the canal that contains lead and the pesticide chlordane.
Although this dredge material does not meet federal Environmental Protection Agency requirements for ocean disposal, it is not considered a hazardous waste nor a human health risk, according to an announcement of the hearing.
About 180,000 cubic yards of material removed from the canal since dredging began in August has been dumped at an EPA-approved offshore site.
American Marine, which has the $7.4 million contract for the year-long job, has finished all the work it can do without the solid-waste permit, said Deborah Ward, Department of Land & Natural Resources spokeswoman.
The DLNR, which is overseeing the project, and American Marine propose to solidify the polluted dredge material by mixing it with cement and using it to fill in low spots in the Honolulu Airport reef runway.
Ten state lawmakers forced the public hearing by asking that the Department of Health not issue a permit.
Representatives of the DLNR and American Marine will be present at the hearing to answer questions.
The draft permit and permit application can be seen at the Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch, 919 Ala Moana, Room 221, Honolulu 96813.
Comment on the plans at the hearing by writing Steve Chang at the above address.
State Health Department