Landfill deadline extended
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
The City Council will have an extra six months to grapple with the politically volatile question of where O'ahu's next garbage dump should be.
The state Land Use Commission voted unanimously yesterday to extend the site selection deadline from June 1 to Dec. 1, but required the council to submit monthly progress reports to ensure the time isn't wasted.
The council must also provide updates on its efforts to find alternative ways of handling rubbish, which could eventually reduce the amount that goes to a landfill.
But the commission left open the possibility of expanding the current landfill at Waimanalo Gulch on the Leeward coast.
The commission said it couldn't rule on the council's request to clarify that issue, because picking a site is beyond the commission's authority and there has been no request to expand Waimanalo Gulch.
The time extension greatly increases the council's political breathing room because its members won't have to chose a dump site before fall elections, in which five of the council's nine seats are open.
But the delay leaves some big landowners in limbo because the future of properties that could be condemned for a landfill will remain clouded.
And the impact on communities is mixed. Residents fighting the possibility that a landfill will be started nearby will have more time to organize opposition, but more months of uncertainty.
The cost to taxpayers is another big factor. The city owns Waimanalo Gulch and could expand it at little cost, but buying a new site and converting it to a landfill could cost $50 million or more.
Former state health director Bruce Anderson said it would be irresponsible for the city to spend that much on another site when Waimanalo Gulch is still viable.
The money would be better spent on a major recycling program and other ways to reduce the amount of garbage going to the landfill, he said.
There is room to expand the Waimanalo Gulch landfill for decades, Anderson said. But Mayor Jeremy Harris committed last year to close the site in 2008 when it won state approval to continue operating the landfill until then.
City Councilman Mike Gabbard said the city must honor that commitment, and city Environmental Services director Frank Doyle said that remains the intention.
The nearby Ko Olina resort is also pushing hard to close Waimanalo Gulch, and opposed giving the council more time to chose a site. The resort says it is planning additional development over the next decade worth $700 million, and that expanding the dump could jeopardize it.
Waimanalo Gulch and three other Leeward sites, along with one Windward site, were selected by an advisory panel for consideration as landfills, but the council can chose a site anywhere that meets environmental requirements.
Gabbard, who represents Leeward O'ahu and backed the time extension, said he hopes the dump search does not divide communities.
"It is totally unacceptable that this issue be allowed to pit one part of this island against another," he said.
The city should explore all options, including shipping rubbish to a Mainland dump, Gabbard said.
Harris opposed the extension and said the council is shirking its duties.
"It's a mistake putting off the decision," Harris said. "The analysis has been done on the sites and it's time for the City Council to step up to the plate and make the hard decision. They can't keep ducking their responsibilities."
Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
