$20 Million Shoreline Protection Project Considered for Kahului Wastewater Facility

By Wendy Osher

The $20 million Shoreline Protection Extension project for the Wailuku-Kahului Wastewater Reclamation Facility comes up for review later this month.

The Wailuku-Kahului Wastewater Reclamation Facility is located between Kanaha Pond and Kanaha Beach near the Kahului Airport. Aerial photography by Wendy Osher.

The item was ranked number 102 on a priority list issued by the State Department of Health for projects preferred for funding in 2011 under the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The list included 113 projects, more than 40 of which were for projects in Maui County. Construction funds are not yet allocated for the project, and are pending council action.

The Wailuku-Kahului Wastewater Reclamation Facility is located at Amala Place in Kahului. The project seeks to protect the facility from ongoing shoreline erosion and rising sea levels.

The County of Maui presents various alternatives for protection in an Environmental Assessment/Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Notice (EA/EISPN) that is due out later this month. There will be a 30 day public comment period for the document that runs from January 23, 2011 to February 21, 2011.

If permitting and approvals are granted the project could begin construction as early as June 2011.