Owners of several thousand acres of land on Hawaii island have either denied or failed to respond to requests issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to search and clear property of unexploded ordnance.
The Corps of Engineers, responsible for coordinating the ordnance removal at the former Waikoloa Maneuver Area, said of 1,170 right-of-entry requests, which cover 30,000 acres, sent to property owners during the last four years, owners of nearly 355 parcels, covering 5,420 acres, have not permitted access.
Corps of Engineers spokesman Joseph Bonfiglio said participation in the cleanup program, which has been underway for about a decade, is voluntary and done with consent of private landowners.
"Our focus is on public safety, and all areas are important to us," Bonfiglio said. "We cannot go on people’s land without a right of entry, though we encourage them to participate in the program in the interest of public safety."
So far, the cleanup has turned up more than 100 different types of munitions including land mines, motors, projectiles, Japanese ordnance and rockets. The military has destroyed more than 2,200 munitions and explosives, including 117,000 pounds of military debris, found on 22,600 acres.
State health officials, working with the Corps of Engineers, plan to conduct public workshops next year to discuss issues related to ordnance.
In an effort to further step up awareness in Hawaii island communities, Army Corps representatives are conducting an educational outreach program in schools that highlights safety procedures and the removal work’s "Three R’s — Recognize, Retreat and Report."
State health official Steve Mow said he’s puzzled as to why landowners have refused the right of entry because it "benefits everyone," and the cost of ordnance removal is assumed by the Corps of Engineers. Since 1984 more than $200 million has been spent to clear potentially hazardous material from the 100,000-acre former Waikoloa Maneuver Area.
Under Formerly Used Defense Sites legislation approved and authorized by Congress, the Army Corps of Engineers spends between $10 million and $15 million a year to clean up ordnance in the Former Waikoloa Maneuver Area, which includes a large portion of Waimea.
Bonfiglio said some landowners decline the right-of-entry request because they feel they have not encountered ordnance-related problems on their properties.
In response, government officials note that munitions and explosives have surfaced in unexpected areas, including a garden at Waimea Middle School where several grenades were discovered and removed.
Firefighters maintain that uncleared areas pose a hazard and limit their firefighting capabilities.
Hawaii County Fire Chief Darren Rosario said because firefighters stay out of unexploded-ordnance areas, brush fires tend to grow in parts of former military maneuver areas of Waikoloa.
Rosario asks the public for cooperation in allowing the corps to comb private land for unexploded ordnance. "It makes our job really easier and protects properties," he said.
