Permanent Lahaina debris site narrowed to three locations

Two West Maui locations and the Central Maui Landfill have been chosen as the finalists for the permanent disposal site for the ash and debris from the Lahaina wildfire.

The sites were unveiled Wednesday night at the county’s weekly disaster recovery community update meeting at the Lahaina Civic Center.

At the same time, county officials launched a two-week community survey that will allow members of the public to give their input into the selection process. The final selection is scheduled for March 1.

“There is no perfect site,” said Shayne Agawa, director of Maui County’s Department of Environmental Management. “Not one site is going to make everybody happy.”

The two West Maui sites are north of Lahaina town: the Wahikuli area and Crater Village. Both sites are undeveloped, but the Wahikuli area is near residential areas and the coastline, and the Crater Village site could interfere with drinking water sources.

The Central Maui Landfill in Puunene has county-owned lands where the ash and debris can be buried, but it is located 26 miles from Lahaina and promises to dramatically affect traffic with all the trucks needed to haul the debris.

“Shipping debris off-island is not an option,” Maui Mayor Richard Bissen added.

Agawa said the community survey is not a vote of site preference. Rather, it will ask questions about what should be considered for the site selection.

“It will help our team to select the final debris site,” he said.

Agawa said consultants analyzed various data and helped the county whittle down the finalist sites, first to eight sites and now three.

The Army Corps of Engineers is currently overseeing the removal from Lahaina of an estimated 400,000 cubic yards of ash and debris — the equivalent of some five football fields filled five stories high. The ash and debris is being hauled to the temporary disposal site in Olowalu.

Some 200,000 tons of debris, things such as concrete and metal, will be recycled, officials said.

Agawa said the county is aiming for a March 1 site selection because there are concerns about the debris being left at Olowalu.

“It’s a temporary site, and it’s not meant to hold the debris for years and years and years, so we really need to find a final site that’s designed to contain this debris,” he said.