Posted on: Monday, January 20, 2003

Relief in sight for eroded beach

By Will Hoover
Advertiser Leeward O'ahu Writer

After nearly a decade of watching the ocean flood the Mauna Lahilahi Beach Park, dash away the beach and splash its way up to their doorsteps, residents of the 550-unit Makaha Surfside Condominium are wondering if they have finally caught a break.

"I'm encouraged," said Chris Martin, president of the board of directors of the Makaha Surfside Condominium Association, after he got word Friday that a final permit had been approved to build a breakwater and bring in sand to rebuild the beach.

"The breakwater may or may not stop the beach erosion, but it certainly ought to slow it way down," said Warren Bucher, senior ocean engineer with Oceanit, the company that planned the project for the city, which has jurisdiction over the park.

Bucher said he has worked since 1996 to secure the federal, state and city and county permits to start the project. He said the breakwater, when completed, will reduce the wave energy that has eroded the shore.

"After years of waiting, I think we are there."

Still, there were a few nagging details that needed to be worked out.

Namba Construction, which will build the breakwater, wanted to begin in March. But city spokeswoman Carol Costa said the work won't begin before early summer, because the Army Corps of Engineers wants to make changes to the construction contract.

The corps must give its approval before any construction can begin.

"We received their OK on the permit in December of 2002, but they added conditions — three times the amount of sand, some change in the location to protect the coral reef and a monitoring requirement," Costa said.

She said Rae Loui, director of the Department of Design and Construction, had said it would take a month or more to renegotiate the contract with Namba to include the changes.

For example, the design called for 10,000 cubic yards of sand.

"Now they're talking about putting in 30,000 cubic yards of sand," said Martin, of the condominium board.

He said the land mass was about 200 feet from the property line when the building opened in 1974. Hurricane 'Iwa in 1982 washed away a large portion of the land. A decade later, after Hurricane Iniki, the land had been reduced to about 10 feet. The association spent thousands to install sand bags along the shore in the mid-'90s, but the bags deteriorated to the point that they have little effect.

Since October, more than half the remaining land has been lost to the waves, Martin said.

"This has been going on since 1995, and it's up to the point where the city says they've got the permit, but they've got to do a change order," said Sheryl Brown, property manager for the condominium

"The beach is eroding so fast, the water is coming over the fence and into the swimming pool. And at one lady's unit, the waves are lapping right at her door."

Actual cost for the project will not be known until the Namba contract changes are finished, but Bucher said the bill for permits, design and construction will total more than $1 million.

Meanwhile, Costa said the county will be looking at ways to find emergency money to purchase additional sandbags to hold the water at bay throughout the winter.

"The city is anxious to get this project under way," she said.