Kula fire debris removal to begin in 2-4 weeks; hazardous site assessments start in Lahaina

The hazardous site assessments of 26 private properties burned in the Aug. 8 wildfire in Kula is complete, paving the way for heavy equipment and crews to begin removing debris in two to four weeks.

The Army Corps awarded a $500 million contract to California-based ECC, for the Phase 2 debris removal in Kula and Lahaina. The hazardous site assessments are Phase 1.

ECC is part of the Army Corps of Engineers’ “Advanced Contracting Initiative,” a program developed and implemented specifically for emergency and disaster scenarios.

“To facilitate rapid engagement with the industrial base, USACE [Army Corps] maintains an inventory of already awarded contract tools, pre-positioned to support major emergency response missions,” a spokesperson for the Army Corps said in an email.

The hazardous site assessment crews have now moved to Lahaina, where on Oct. 27 they started the hazardous site assessments for the approximately five-square mile burn area in which an estimated 2,200 structures and 3,000-plus cars were destroyed or damaged.

It is too early to predict how long it will take to complete the hazardous site assessments in Lahaina. But because of the large area, debris removal likely can begin in some areas of the seaside town before all the assessments are done.

“We’re moving as quickly and as deliberately as possible,” said Mark Cardwell, Emergency Management Specialist with the US Army Corps of Engineers that is leading the fire debris removal, with funding from FEMA.

The Army Corps awarded a $52.5 million contract to Honolulu-based Dawson Solutions, a Native Hawaiian Organization that has worked for other federal government clients, to do Phase 1 of the debris removal project for Lahaina and Upcountry.

Most of the fire debris will end up in a 53-acre landfill in Olowalu. The state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved its use on Friday. Cardwell said Monday during a press briefing that the landfill is big enough to handle the expected 400,000 cubic yards of fire debris.

Some of the material — including metals, concrete and cinder block — will be recycled, Cardwell said.

Only the household hazardous materials and bulk asbestos material they call BAM will be shipped to the mainland and disposed of at a site(s) that has yet to be chosen by Dawson.

While there could be toxic material in the ash that ultimately goes to the Olowalu landfill, Cardwell said it will be carefully wrapped in plastic “like a burrito” that is inside a container and tarped before being transported.

On Oct. 21, hazardous site assessments began in Kula. Three crews conducted the work, with it taking about a 1/2 day per property.

“They come through with iPads and note everything that is on the property, inspecting hazardous materials and anything that needs to be removed or anything that could be a safety concern to any of the crews,” said Brian Brandt, resident engineer for the debris planning and response team, in a video.

During this phase, crews also will “non-intrusively” remove by hand some household hazardous material — “basically anything under your kitchen sink” — and bulk asbestos material, like large floor or ceiling tiles,” Cardwell said.

The US Environmental Protection Agency is currently completing this type of removal of hazardous household material and large asbestos in Lahaina. As of Oct. 26, the agency said it was more than 85% done.

Cardwell said the EPA did more of a “quick through” while the current phase is more “deliberate” with the entire property assessed. The EPA also applied a soil stabilizer to the ash to prevent toxic ash and debris from entering the air, nearby properties, waterways and the ocean.

When the rest of the fire debris is removed, the primary way to manage the ash and dust is “wet methods of misting,” Cardwell said.

The county and EPA also are working to identify, transport and safely dispose of lithium-ion batteries from electric and hybrid vehicles. The county now is seeking owners of these vehicles too let them know if they don’t want their batteries removed. Click here, for more information.

That work will be done before the Army Corps removes debris.

The Army Corps of Engineers also awarded an $18.7 million contract to AEPAC, a Honolulu-based architecture and engineering firm, for cultural monitoring during the assessments and debris removal.

The monitoring is to help minimize further harm to the unique cultural heritage of Hawai‘i and Native Hawaiian people. It involves collaboration between Native Hawaiians, government agencies, developers and the broader community.  

AEPAC has hired Nā ‘Aikāne o Maui to provide cultural observers during the site assessments.

Phase 2 debris removal starts after the site assessments come back. The assessments include taking tests and samples for asbestos and other hazardous materials. Results of these tests and samples takes about five days, Brandt said.

The final assessment reports are turned over to the phase 2 contractor that does the removal.

“So about two weeks after this we expect to getting into actual [debris] removal,” Brandt said.

Cardwell said the assessments provide a “roadmap or site diagram” about how the debris will be removed from each property.

Before the Phase 2 process can begin, the contractor needs a cultural clearance and a Right of Entry from the property owner. In Kula, right of entries have been received from 26 of the 30 affected properties.

While signed “right of entry” forms from property owners are not needed for Phase 1 due to public safety, they are required for Phase 2.

Once the Phase 2 process begins to remove debris, it will take an average of about 3 to 4 days per property, although extenuating circumstances could increase the time.

Some properties in Kula could take longer due to rugged terrain or the need for further remediation.

The “science nature” of fires also makes debris removal a slower process that other types of disaster like hurricanes. Cardwell said the burned material goes through some different processes, including turning into ash that has the ability to be airborne with toxic materials.

And in the historic town of Lahaina, Cardwell said it could take longer for the site assessments because there are more cultural considerations then there are in the burned areas of Kula.

For information on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hawai‘i wildfire response, visit https://www.poh.usace.army.mil/Missions/Emergency-Response/Hawaii-Wildfires/.