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The public has until Friday to comment on a draft environmental impact statement for a $12 million Waikiki Beach Improvement and Maintenance Program for the shoreline from the Kapahulu Groin to Fort DeRussy Beach.
Proposed by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) in partnership with the Waikiki Beach Special Improvement District Association (WBSIDA), it seeks to build three, 200-foot-long, T-head groins and a 3.8-acre beach extending out from the sea wall at the Halekulani Resort, and to convert the Royal Hawaiian and Fort DeRussy groins into T-heads.
The state claims five T-head groins are needed to extend the life of the proposed new beach by trapping and slowing the erosion of its sands.
Yet its plan contradicts what DLNR and Sam Lemmo, administrator of its Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands (OCCL), have been saying for years.
They have been against the armoring of our shorelines and have stopped many private home owners from doing so, because they say it increases erosion of Hawaii’s beaches and the islands’ vulnerability to sea level rise due to climate change.
Now Mr. Lemmo talks about how these Waikiki projects will protect against sand erosion and sea level rise.
The fact is, sand erosion will always happen as nature reclaims its shoreline, and sea level rise will happen inland under the grounds of Waikiki as the water table rises, which will be more devastating than water coming from seaward. But DLNR, OCCL and WBSIDA don’t talk about that. They say Waikiki is manmade so it’s OK to do these projects.
If man created this, then maybe now man should step aside and rethink the mess they have made and not keep making the same mistakes.
They also try to scare us by saying if all the sand is lost in Waikiki we would lose $2.23 billion in revenue. But thanks to natural sand migration patterns, Waikiki has never lost all its sand.
While using taxpayer money, this plan does not even include nourishing Duke Kahanamoku Beach or the Diamond Head side of Kapahulu groin, two spots heavily used by locals due to accessibility to parking and restrooms.
The state also plans T-head groins and sand-filling for Maui. Neither of these projects will stop sand erosion or sea level rise.
In fact, DLNR’s latest project, a bigger Royal Hawaiian Groin, completed in August, made the new wall so big it stopped the lateral flow of sand, causing the beach at the Outrigger Reef Hotel beach to not regain its seasonal fill of sand.
By changing water flow patterns, currents and sand movement, these groins will rob sand at the ends of the first and last groins. These are seawalls with gaps in them, and will stick out 180 feet into the surf, covering our reefs with sand and endangering our honu habitat in front of the Sheraton Hotel.
These groins will create temporary beaches for hotel guests and beach services, all at taxpayers’ expense.
These beaches will not be community friendly, having no nearby public parking or restrooms, yet the public will bear the financial burden.
OCCL has been pushing this concept for more than 10 years. It has filled Waikiki’s beaches with so much sand that as nature reclaims the shoreline, the sands fill our reefs, changing the way our waves break, and not for the good.
This plan’s only objective is taking care of tourism and adding value to the hotels these areas front. We, the ocean users, must now be heard before more rocks are thrown into our beloved shorelines. We must help each other by speaking out, even if it is not in our area, because it could be in your area before you know it.
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Read the report: The draft environmental impact statement is online at 808ne.ws/3hSQjmf and at the Waikiki-Kapahulu library; comments can be emailed to waikiki@seaengineering.com through Friday.
Businessman Keone Downing is a member of Save Our Surf, board member of the Hawaii Tourism Authority and former board member of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources.
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