Landfill pick will test our mettle

Oahu residents await, with bated breath, the release of a final list of up to 22 proposed sites for a new landfill to replace or supplement the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill as it approaches capacity. It’s an issue that has tormented politicians and community leaders, given that a trash dump is never welcomed in anyone’s backyard.

If the mayor’s Advisory Committee on Landfill Site Selection sticks to its sensible selection criteria, as it should, backyards everywhere would be somewhat protected. The top-ranked consideration was avoidance of locations close to homes; demerits also would be given for proximity to schools and recreation and health facilities and for traffic impact.

No matter which site draws the short straw through this evaluation, nobody expects to hear a round of applause. So it’s good to see the committee pledge to press ahead with an April 5 recommendation.

And it makes sense that the panel has opted, through consultant R.M. Towill Corp., to withhold releasing the list of sites until after it has finished scoring, so that process can go on with a measure of impartiality.

After that point, the communities should be engaged in the discussion, in case any potential problems with the top-ranked sites were overlooked by the advisory panel.

That’s when things are sure to become politically tricky: This is not an enviable decision to put forward in an election year. But any impulse for further procrastination must be resisted. Although the city is seeking a further extension of the life of the Waimanalo Gulch facility, a 2009 ruling by the state Land Use Commission set the closure date for July 31, only a few months from now.

The city is running up against some firm opposition to any extension, especially from Ko Olina Resort. While the LUC will allow HPOWER ash and residue at the existing landfill beyond the deadline, a permanent replacement eventually must be found to accommodate trash, so officials should bite the bullet and pick a location as soon as possible.

There is going to be a lot of work to do to prepare any site for responsible use, as last year’s episode, in which runoff overflowed and carried medical waste from the landfill to the beach, demonstrated with appalling clarity.

In addition, there’s no time to lose in getting the long-awaited third boiler in the HPOWER plant finished, reducing the need for large-capacity waste-management storage.

That said, it’s clear that another site will be needed, because even HPOWER can’t incinerate everything, even under normal circumstances, and in the event of problems, landfills are needed as a fallback.

The time is long overdue for the city to demonstrate the political will to move ahead with this decision, no matter how unpopular it proves to be.