KILAUEA, KAUA'I – The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) will hold an informational meeting on the status of the Kilauea River/Wailapa Stream Debris and Sediment Removal Project from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, at the Kilauea Neighborhood Gymnasium, 2460 Keneke St., in Kilauea.

DLNR Engineering staff and consultant firm EarthTech will present information on the project status.

Residents who live adjacent to Wailapa Stream and the lower reaches of Kilauea River are encouraged to attend, as important information will be discussed that will assist in moving this project forward, according to a DLNR news release.

"While the project is funded with a combination of federal and state monies, the department was able to secure the bulk of the funding with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection Program," said Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairperson.

"This partnership with the federal government is in alignment with the administration's efforts to increase federal funding as a means of stimulating Hawai'i's economy," Thielen said.

"The State will partner with NRCS in this project that will remove debris and sediment that have accumulated," said Thielen. Some $4 million in federal funds are available and will be used toward paying 75 percent of the construction cost, with the state paying the remaining 25 percent.

The project, currently in the design stage, is scheduled to begin construction in early 2009.