Email Carolyn Lucas-Zenk at clucas-zenk@westhawaiitoday.com.
By CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK
Stephens Media
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is continuing its investigation of navigational improvements in North Kohala, an area for years devoid of improved facilities for commercial and recreational boat use.
It’s looking into the feasibility of creating a small, light-draft boat harbor in the Mahukona area, said Derek Chow, Civil and Public Works Branch chief for the Corps Honolulu District. Feasibility studies typically take three to five years to complete and public meetings about this project will likely occur this year, he added.
A Feasibility Cost Sharing Agreement was done with the county Department of Parks and Recreation in September 2008. If the harbor is built, it will be owned and maintained in perpetuity by the local sponsor, which is Hawaii County, said Debbie Solis, Civil and Public Works Branch project manager for the Corps.
This project is being conducted under the Continuing Authorities Program, Section 107 of the River and Harbor Act of 1960. It began in 2003 with a letter from Parks and Recreation, requesting assistance in an investigation of navigational improvements in North Kohala, Solis said.
However, Mayor Billy Kenoi said developing a harbor near the Mahukona Beach Park is “not on the top of the list of priority projects for Hawaii County.”
Kenoi cited limited funds as reasons why, as well as other “more pressing priorities,” such as fixing the Laupahoehoe boat ramp, the only ramp along the Hamakua Coast, and addressing flooding issues. He said the request to do the study at Mahukona didn’t come from his administration. Kenoi took office in December 2008.
The initial reconnaissance report, Navigational Improvements for Mahukona Bay, was completed in December 1975. The then-existing federal policy was that construction of a breakwater was to provide protection to the boat launching ramp and this was the local sponsor’s responsibility. Based on that policy, the project was terminated by the county, Solis said.
A second reconnaissance report, North Kohala Light Draft Navigation Facility, was completed in 1990. The state Department of Transportation requested a study to develop a boat launching facility along the western coast of North Kohala. The proposed plan at the Kapaa Beach area included a new entrance channel, an excavated entrance and turning basin, and a launching ramp, Solis said.
The construction cost for the proposed plan was approximately $1.8 million, with a benefit-cost ratio of 1 to 3. The study was terminated in 1993 because of the state’s inability to provide its share of the feasibility study cost, Solis said.
In the 2008 Feasibility Cost Sharing Agreement, the county agreed to pay for half of the estimated $1.229 million study, Solis said.
Preliminary study and possible harbor layout designs at Mahukona and Kapaa were provided to the county. The next step was a decision on which site would be more feasible and continue with further engineering analysis, Solis said.
The Corps, in coordination with Parks and Recreation, will do further analysis at Mahukona. It’s working with park planner James Komata, letting him know what’s being done, when and where. The topographic and hydrographic surveys are expected to be completed soon, Solis said.
Coastal engineering analysis by the Corps will be performed this year, including alternate layouts of the harbor features. This will give the Corps a better idea of the potential costs of a harbor, Solis said.
Intermittent stops caused by county budget issues resulted in the feasibility study taking longer to complete. The final report may be done in a year and a half or two years, Solis said.
The Corps must prepare an environmental impact statement to accompany the report, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. The EIS, typically presented with the report, evaluates the environmental impacts of the proposed project, considers alternatives, as well as includes views from the public and government agencies. Public input is essential and will be sought during this part of the planning process, Solis said.
Once the feasibility report and EIS are completed, the project will be sent to the Corps in Washington, D.C., where it will compete for approval and funding for design and construction with other small navigation projects nationwide. In order for the project to be considered, it must have a benefit-cost greater than 1, Solis said.
The federal share of an individual small navigation project cannot exceed $7 million, and the federal cost share varies depending on the project specifications, Solis said. For more information about this project, call Joseph Bonfiglio, Corps spokesman, at 438-8317.
Email Carolyn Lucas-Zenk at clucas-zenk@westhawaiitoday.com.