Temporary groundwater monitoring wells to be installed at Temporary Debris Storage site in Olowalu

Two temporary groundwater monitoring wells will be installed at the Temporary Debris Storage site (TDS) in Olowalu. County officials say the installation is part of its commitment along with the US Army Corps of Engineers to protect public health and the environment during the wildfire cleanup.

Crews will be installing one well uphill (upgradient) and one downhill (downgradient) of the TDS to be drilled down to the uppermost source of groundwater.

Although impacts to groundwater are not expected, the wells will be installed to further monitor TDS site operations. Samples are expected to be collected shortly after the wells are installed and have had time to stabilize. The temporary groundwater monitoring wells will continue to be sampled every three months, which is typical for waste management facilities.

Groundwater in this area is not currently being utilized for drinking or irrigation, and the nearest drinking water well is approximately 1 mile away, according to county officials.

Data from the sampling will be shared along with other environmental data (air, leachate, etc.) at https://mauirecovers.org/debris-containment.

Bill 120, which authorized an intergovernmental agreement between the County of Maui and State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources for right-of-entry for the TDS site, requires that best efforts must be used to protect against the runoff of debris or leachate from the TDS site to the ocean, including run-on and run-off control, groundwater-detection monitoring, air quality monitoring, stormwater-pollution prevention, maintenance of adequate documentation, record keeping and transparent public reporting on these efforts.