Despite public concerns, Maui begins construction of temporary landfill to store wildfire ash and debris

More than 200 people attended a community meeting in Lahaina this week that focused on the county’s plan to bury massive amounts of toxic waste from August wildfires that killed at least 100 people.

County and federal officials have repeatedly said at meetings that they have not yet made a final decision on permanently storing about 400,000 cubic yards of ash and debris contaminated with arsenic, lead, cobalt, copper and a host of other substances hazardous to human health.

But for now, plans are moving forward so that the temporary facility being built in Olowalu can begin receiving materials in mid-January. Officials said the community can expect to see “a large number of trucks” as work begins at the site about 7 miles south of Lahaina.

It’s unclear when a permanent site will be selected, but a county slide presentation showing the location of the temporary landfill in Olowalu labels the adjacent area on the map as the final ash/debris control area.

Olowalu resident and county environmental management director Shane Agawa described it as the “proposed” final site in a public address at the meeting.

He explained how his department’s infrastructure experts reviewed and ranked the numerous possible locations for the debris. They selected six and added two more after receiving input from the community. In the end, Olowaru came out on top.

They used criteria including the time it would take to acquire a site, proximity to Lahaina, proximity to residential areas, schools and hospitals, natural features such as wetlands or drinking water sources and other factors.

If approved, the new landfill for fire-related debris would have a double layer of impermeable material and be carefully designed to prevent leakage into groundwater. The landfill will have monitoring wells and other facilities to detect and control any leaks.

Agawa said, if something gets into the groundwater, we will catch it.

The EPA concluded more than three decades ago that all landfills eventually leak. That’s because liners can fail and the system that collects toxins, called leachate, can rupture, collapse or otherwise malfunction. The EPA confirmed last month that this remains the agency’s position.

Given that the proposed Olowalu dump is not far from the ocean and one of Hawaii’s major coral reef systems, community members and some experts have expressed concerns about possible contaminants leaching into groundwater and entering the highly productive nearshore environment.

The Olowaru Reef has been designated a Blue Hope Mission site and is considered critical to ocean health. Among its many attributes, the Olowalu Reef is home to about a thousand acres of manta rays and the largest population of manta rays in the United States, according to The Nature Conservancy.

In written testimony to the Maui County Council, the Nature Conservancy asked the county if it had considered options other than Olowalu to dispose of the fire debris, rather than placing it about a quarter of the way from the ocean. Miles of place.

Is it possible to use the Olowaru site for current needs and build a permanent site elsewhere without posing a threat to the precious Olowaru reef? Maui Marine Program Director Scott Crawford wrote.

Agawa said transporting the contaminated waste from Maui to the mainland is expected to cost $4 billion and take about three years, making transportation expensive and too slow. The county lacks the infrastructure of other locations such as Kahului.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Col. Jesse Curry, who is overseeing the second phase of the Lahaina cleanup, which includes debris removal, said the near-term goal is to remove contaminants from Lahaina lands and move them into controlled spaces, to prevent environmental hazards and public health risks. The second goal is to speed up the rebuilding process and fuel Lahaina’s economic recovery.

He described how heavy machinery scraped 6 inches into each contaminated home’s ash footprint. Testing will be carried out to ensure any contamination is below acceptable safety thresholds.

If contamination above safe levels is still detected, the excavator will dig an additional 6 inches into the soil, to a maximum depth of 1 foot.

“We don’t anticipate we’ll have to go that far,” Currie said.

Once excavation is complete, the burned land will be backfilled with 3 inches of gravel or cinder, he said.

The ash and debris will be hoisted onto large trucks that are lined with material to hold the waste, then covered and sealed in a burrito-like fashion. Crews will spray water over the waste to control the spread of ash in the air.

West Maui regeneration farmer Eddy Garcia urged the county to slow down, considering the rubble could contain highly toxic substances such as dioxins and furans because PVC pipes and transformers were destroyed in the fire.

PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is a product widely used as insulation for pipes, wires and cables. According to the EPA, dioxins are released when burned.

Another viewer who submitted a written question asked about the status of mainland landfills used to dispose of hazardous waste.

Mark Wingate, a waste disposal specialist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said the ash and debris in Lahaina did not meet the threshold that would require being sent to such a specialized landfill.

Wingate said residential fire debris is exempt from the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

California has had eight major wildfires in the past decade, with all the debris being hauled to so-called Subtitle D landfills, facilities designed to dispose of non-hazardous solid waste.

Rebekah Uccellini-Kuby, a permaculture practitioner and landscape architect, posted a comment on the Maui County Facebook page saying the EPA has the display Map of toxic volcanic ash locations. She estimated that this amount, about 1/20 of the total, should be shipped off the islands along with batteries and other hazardous household waste already shipped to the mainland by the EPA.

Mayor Richard Beason said at the end of the meeting that it will ultimately be up to him to decide where Lahaina’s toxic waste ends up.

“We’re going to make the best decision we think is safe for the most people,” Beeson said. For our environment, our people, our children. This is our goal.

He acknowledged the risks of storing large amounts of fire debris in Olowalu.

It’s not a perfect situation, Beason said.

Others say the waste should undergo bioremediation methods to reduce its toxicity. Agawa said this was something he was considering.

During a special meeting of the Maui County Council on Friday, members will vote on Bill 120, which would authorize the Army Corps to enter the Olowalu temporary disposal site for one year to transport fire debris to Olowa Lu.

“I just want to clarify that a yes vote on Bill 120 does not mean that Olowalu ends up being the final site. It only allows for a one-year time frame between the state and the county and between the county and the Army Corps. , to continue clearing debris from Lahaina,” Agawa said.

The committee report on Bill 120 estimated the cost of the landfill at approximately $65 million, including site design, permitting, construction, monitoring and management, and operating expenses.

Under Hawaii Department of Health regulations, county solid waste departments must monitor and manage final disposal sites for 30 years. Agawa said the county plans to permanently monitor and manage the site.

Construction of the temporary debris containment site in Olowalu will begin on Friday and is expected to conclude on January 11, the county said in a news release Wednesday. Construction will take place from 6pm to 6am to reduce wide-duty trucks from daytime traffic.

Civil Beat’s reporting on Maui County is funded in part by the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.

Civil Beats’ coverage of climate change is supported by the Healey Foundation, the Hawaii Community Foundation Environmental Funders Group, the Marisla Foundation of the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation.