Harris wants landfill site by June

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer

The City Council should bite the bullet and decide by June 1 where O'ahu's next dump site should be, Mayor Jeremy Harris said.

"We are steadfastly against asking for more time," he said. "We need to move on with the whole solid waste program, and we can't continue to put off tough decisions."

The council is to vote tomorrow on a resolution asking the city's Department of Environmental Services to seek an extension of the June deadline set by the state Land Use Commission. Harris said his administration won't comply with that request no matter what the vote is, but that the council can petition the state on its own.

"The council can provide its justification for asking for an extension, but our recommendation will be not to extend," Harris said.

The state commission agreed last year to allow the city's Waimanalo Gulch landfill to remain open to mid-2008 under the condition that the council pick a new site by June 1.

Rod Tam, chairman of the council's Public Works Committee, has said more time is needed to gather information about the cost and impact of other potential sites, but not all council members agree.

An advisory committee studied such issues last year and concluded that a site should be chosen from among four possibilities. They are Ameron Kapa'a Quarry in Kailua and three Leeward locations — Makaiwa Gulch, a site referred to as Nanakuli B and a quarry in Ma'ili.

The study found that expanding Waimanalo Gulch would be far cheaper than starting a new dump elsewhere. Some Leeward landowners have lobbied hard to close the dump, however, and it's unclear whether the state would allow it to remain open past 2008.

Tam is sponsoring community briefings Monday about the landfill issue, from 7 to 9 p.m., at Kapolei Hale; and March 30, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the Kailua District Park multi-purpose room.

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.