By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau
HILO, Hawai‘i — Hawai‘i County crews today will begin removing about 600 cubic yards of silt and rocks deposited on Hilo’s bayfront during the Nov. 1-2 floods.
Repairs to the bayfront area, once a key part of Hilo’s commercial district, were halted in late November when potential contamination was spotted. The site supported seven soccer fields prior to the rains that caused more than $70 million in damage.
State environmental health officials gave the green light to begin the cleanup. County Parks Director Patricia Englehard said further testing may be required to ensure no serious contamination remains from a 1940s manufacturing plant that was located in the bayfront area. The plant once converted crude oil into liquid petroleum gas.
County engineer Jiro Sumada said repairs are expected to last through the summer. He identified the bayfront work as one of the four major repair projects the county is undertaking with federal financial help.
Public Works Director Dennis Lee said Mayor Harry Kim directed his agency to move quickly on the repairs so youth soccer programs can resume. One soccer field will not be restored since it is prone to flooding.
Englehard said waste material will be hauled to the Pana‘ewa horse racing track for use as fill.
[back to top] |
