Kaua'i opts for new landfill
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — The Kekaha Landfill, which has been expanded repeatedly, is within three years of being full, Kaua'i County officials said.
The county hopes to add another three years of use with one more expansion, but is looking at a new site outside Lihu'e for a landfill.
The new site is at the base of the Kalepa mountain range on land formerly part of Lihu'e Plantation.
Much of the plantation's land was bought by Steve Case, AOL/Time Warner chairman who previously purchased adjacent Grove Farm Co.
Grove Farm proposed the Kalepa site after it rejected a site near Kipu that the county had identified as its preferred landfill location.
The Kalepa site covers about 90 acres, and at its nearest point is about 1,000 feet from the urban boundary of Hanama'ulu.
Residents interested in the new location can participate in a field trip to the site Saturday by calling the mayor's office at (808) 241-6303.
The county will have a public informational meeting on the Kalepa site proposal at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 23 in the King Kaumuali'i School cafeteria. An informational meeting on the proposal to extend the life of the Kekaha Landfill will be Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center.
After debris from Hurricane Iniki in 1992 filled the original Kekaha Landfill, the county established a second phase of the facility on adjacent land. When the second phase filled, the county got permission to expand vertically, essentially making the mountain of covered refuse taller.
The proposed expansion would elevate the mound at the landfill from its existing authorized height of 60 feet above sea level to between 70 and 75 feet, said Troy Tanigawa, county solid waste coordinator.
The first phase of the Kekaha Landfill rises about 59 feet above sea level, and the normal level of land in the area is roughly 10 feet above sea level, he said.
The county said it is requesting the expansion to give it time to obtain permits and perform work on the new location at Kalepa.
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.
