The rush to extend the life of the controversial Waimanalo Gulch landfill near Kahe Point faces two more hurdles before the facility's operating permit expires in May, and a 60-acre expansion of the site remains a separate possibility.

The city Planning Commission agreed yesterday to approve a two-year extension of the permit on the condition that the state Health Department allow incinerator ash to be piled higher on a portion of the site than is currently allowed. That ruling is expected within one month.

The extension would also require approval from the state Land Use Commission. A hearing date has not yet been set, but officials believe there is sufficient time.

The Planning Commission's ruling rejected challenges from state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa and the Ko Olina Community Association seeking to force the landfill's closure.

"I'd like to say I'm surprised but I don't think I really am," said Hanabusa, D-21st (Nanakuli, Makaha).

She said she would review the decision and is considering an appeal in Circuit Court, and questioned whether the landfill has enough capacity to remain open for two years.

PRESSURE FELT

Several commissioners said they resented having to make yesterday's decision under pressure because the permit will expire in less than four months.

"We felt we were in a very uncomfortable position because of the timing of this matter," commissioner Rodney Kim said.

The city's long-running problems managing garbage disposal must be solved quickly and fairly, he said.

"This is not just an issue for people on the Leeward Coast," Kim said. "It's an issue for all of us on this island. We have a responsibility to not shut our eyes and just say, 'It's the problem of people on the other side.' "

Commission chairwoman Karin Holma expressed "extreme disappointment" with the city's Department of Environmental Services for the late timing of the extension request.

Ordering the landfill closed in May would create "huge, catastrophic problems" because there is no immediate alternative for disposing of the island's garbage, she said.

The commission approved the extension by a vote of 6-1, with commissioner Beadie Dawson in opposition.

The city still hopes to expand the size of the landfill by about 60 acres so it can remain open for at least 15 more years.

An environmental impact statement for the expansion fell behind schedule when some large upright stones that may be culturally significant to Native Hawaiians were discovered at the site.

"We found the rocks, and that set us back," environmental services executive assistant Martin Okabe said.

Officials found the landfill had capacity for about two years worth of garbage without the expansion, and decided to seek the two-year extension of the existing permit while the environmental study is completed, he said.

A determination by the state Historic Preservation Division on the significance of the rocks is pending, and the draft environmental statement should be completed by March, Okabe said.

LANDFILL SHIFT FEARED

Wai'anae Neighborhood Board Chairwoman Patty Teruya said she supported the two-year extension because of the difficult timing and her fear that closing Waimanalo Gulch would force trash into a Nanakuli landfill that's closer to homes.

The private Nanakuli site handles construction and demolition debris and is the only other landfill on O'ahu that's equipped with a liner that could allow it to receive household trash.

Teruya said she hoped the city would soon begin shipping some trash to the Mainland and find other ways to dispose of it so Waimanalo Gulch could be closed soon.

"Hopefully, we can get this closed sooner than 15 years," she said. "That's much too long, and I don't think the community would support that."

Cynthia Rezentes, another Neighborhood Board member, said she was disappointed, but not surprised, by yesterday's decision.

"It wasn't entirely unexpected," she said. "But it's not over yet."

She also called for the city to start shipping some garbage away, and to build a new facility similar to the H-Power garbage-to-energy plant in Campbell Industrial Park. The plant incinerates about 600,000 tons of garbage each year and can generate up to 46 megawatts of electricity.

The city is evaluating proposals that could lead to construction of a new facility, and a decision is expected very soon. Officials are also preparing to seek bids for shipping at least 100,000 tons of trash to the Mainland each year. At least three companies have long been working to set up trash-shipping deals.

Former Mayor Jeremy Harris had repeatedly pushed to add a third boiler to H-Power so it could handle an additional 120,000 tons of trash each year. But the plans became bogged down while the City Council questioned the financing and called for a plant based on an alternative technology.

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com.