#erosion

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation is providing notice of its intent to declare a traffic emergency zone on Kamehameha V Highway (Route 450) at mile post 18.7 in the vicinity of Waialua Stream on Molokaʻi, for emergency road repairs.

By a narrow 4-3 vote, the Board of Land and Natural Resources rejected a request last week from Hololani Resort apartment owners seeking an amendment to 2018 board action for a sheet pile and rock revetment to protect the property from shoreline erosion.

“It’s important because it is connected to a much larger set of lands that go all the way to the summit (of the West Maui Mountains),” said Scott Fretz, the Maui branch manager of DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife. “Fires often start at those mauka lands and come down in the direction toward the highway. And often they start at the highway and go up this parcel into the mauka lands. So, that connectivity is important.”

The Nature Conservancy first purchased statewide coral reef insurance in 2022. The new policy doubles the area covered – as well as the minimum payout following a damaging hurricane or tropical storm.

During his visit, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg provided updates on key infrastructure projects, including critical investments in the Honoapiʻilani Highway. He visited West Maui as part of the administrationʻs efforts to reaffirm its commitment to wildfire recovery in Lahaina.

A group of survivors, neighbors, landowners and experts joined forces to rehabilitate Kula’s burned lands, aiming to stabilize, protect, and maintain the area to prevent further erosion.

Shoreline advocates blocked heavy machinery at Kā’anapali Beach Tuesday, amid ongoing concerns over how sea level rise and continued beach erosion is handled.

When explaining the significance of the name “Waiahiokole,” Keʻeaumoku Kapu, CEO of Aha Moku said “kole” means raw, and “waiahi” talks about the turbulence during the time of the shark birthing process. In addition to the literal translation, Kapu said scholars that he reached out to told him it was also named after a prominent chief that lived in the area. Dr. Janet Six, principal archaeologist for the County of Maui said, that while “Puamana definitely is a Hawaiian word–it just is one that was assigned to a large plantation house in the 1920s.” She explained that the area is historically a large grave site.

“The updated SMA and Shoreline Rules are more balanced and flexible for homeowners, and incorporate the best available science on sea level rise to bolster coastal resilience,” said Planning Director Kathleen Ross Aoki.

As Maui rings in the new year, we take a moment to reflect on 2022–a year that brought highs and lows, challenges and triumphs, and shed light on erosion and the economy. Here are Maui Now’s top 22 stories of 2022…

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation will host two virtual and one in-person public informational meetings, to discuss the Honoapiʻilani Highway Improvement project, from Pāpalaua Beach Park to Launiupoko.

The project seeks a proactive and holistic approach to manage worsening coastal erosion at Māʻalaea Bay Beach by exploring the feasibility of coastal resilience strategies, including erosion mitigation options and relocation of threatened structures. The project area spans from Māʻalaea Harbor to Haycraft Park.

“It might be a David vs Goliath case, but someone has to take a stand and oil companies need to pay for the damage they knowingly caused,” Mayor Victorino said. “Our ‘rock’ is science, which clearly shows the impacts of burning fossil fuels have led to sea level rise and other environmental impacts that will get worse, perhaps much worse, in the years ahead.”

The Maui Emergency Management Agency has nearly completed an update to the County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan. It addresses threats such as wildfires, significant beach erosion and highway rockslides and looks at how the County can lessen the impact of natural hazards such as wildfires, tropical storms and erosion on Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi.

The public is invited to identify solutions to problems associated with natural hazard threats such as wildfires, significant beach erosion and highway rockslides.  

An innovative pilot project that uses oysters to improve water quality at Maui’s Māʻalaea Harbor was launched on Friday by the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council.

County officials say wave action and saltwater spray have deteriorated street elements on the makai side of Front Street in two locations: between Dickenson Street and Lahainaluna Road and between Papalaua and Baker streets.

Mayor Michael Victorino this morning applauded the Honolulu City Council for unanimously passing a measure Tuesday to sue large oil companies and seek compensation for what he is calling “the damaging effects of climate change to the Hawaiian Islands.”

Maui Mayor Michael Victorino today announced his intent for Maui County to file a lawsuit against fossil fuel companies for what he called “mounting impacts of climate change and rising sea levels.”

A 157-page Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Notice has been filed to address erosion mitigation at Kahana Beach in west Maui.