HAWAII ISLAND
Two old geothermal wells in Puna will be plugged, the state announced Friday.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources has contracted with Water Resources International Inc. for $2,036,000 to plug the research wells, designated SOH-1 and SOH-2.
The plans will be discussed at a community meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Pahoa Community Center, 15-2910 Puna Road. Representatives from DLNR’s Engineering Division, consultant Brown and Caldwell, and Water Resources International will be available to answer questions on the project.
Drilled in 1991 for research purposes to monitor temperature variations down the shafts, the two wells are no longer being used by the University of Hawaii or DLNR.
Initial site clearing and preparations are ongoing at SOH-1, and by about Dec. 12 work will begin on plugging the well and restoring the area, the department said by email. SOH-2 will be next.
KAUAI
Bridge over Keahua Stream planned; meeting Tuesday
The state plans to build a bridge over Keahua Stream on Kauai so motorists won’t get stranded by high water.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources has contracted with Mocon Corp. for $2.5 million to build the bridge at the end of Kuamoo Road, at the Keahua Arboretum, in the Lihue-Koloa State Forest Reserve.
An informational meeting on the construction project is scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m Tuesday at Kapaa Middle School.
The new bridge will provide a safer route so cars will no longer be stranded by high water if they are on the mauka side of the river, according to a DLNR news release. The project is expected to be completed in early 2017.
