Citizens on the Waianae Coast have long lived with the burden of a nearby municipal landfill, wafting odors, dust and ash across nearby communities, and they must prepare to brace themselves for another two years in limbo.
Honolulu is seeking an extension on its plan to close the decades-old Sanitary Landfill at Waimanalo Gulch and move operations to a new site, after failing to find an acceptable place to dump the city’s refuse during a 2021-2022 review.
That’s a bitter pill to swallow. However, the city’s request for an extension is justified in this case, despite the frustration it creates for islanders living in proximity to the site.
Community frustration is understandable, as the landfill has been an undesirable neighbor for decades — a problem that has grown with a growing population. However, it must be acknowledged that Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s administration faces a higher hurdle to finding an acceptable site for municipal waste than have past administrations.
In 2019, the state Land Use Commission ordered that a new site be found and the Sanitary Landfill closed. However, the following year the Legislature passed Act 73, requiring a minimum one-half mile buffer zone between a landfill or waste disposal facility and any residential area, school or hospital, and banning waste operations within a conservation district.
Concern for the health of Oahu’s aquifers, which supply the island’s drinking water, is also in play. In October, Board of Water Supply Manager Ernie Lau urged the city to avoid placing the landfill over aquifers holding Oahu’s drinkable water, terming these locations the “No Pass Zone.”
Once banned, buffered and No Pass Zone areas were mapped, no proposed sites were left for Honolulu to consider.
The best option going forward will respect public will and the restrictions of Act 73, and protect Honolulu’s drinking water by maintaining the integrity of Oahu’s No Pass Zone. That leaves pursuing a location on federally owned land — including military land — as the best viable option.
These properties, largely separated from public use, may be less apt to cause problems of proximity like those caused at Waimanalo Gulch. And federal properties are not controlled by Act 73 restrictions.
This week, Environmental Services Director Roger Babcock said the city is focusing its search on military properties. Pursuing access to military land is bound to be difficult and lengthy — but there is reason to think it can be done.
One factor is the ongoing crisis at the Navy’s Red Hill fueling tanks, where a fuel spill contaminated drinking water, sickening local residents, and both fuel and fire suppressants have leaked into the surrounding earth. The U.S. military has committed massive resources to clean up the site, acknowledging the irreplaceable nature of Oahu’s water supply, on which everyone depends. Given that reality, along with the military’s desire to be a “good neighbor” on Oahu, it’s reasonable to see the project as being of mutual benefit.
Oahu residents should accept the extension to allow for a wider search, and support a determined effort to identify a site that meets Act 73 and No Pass Zone restrictions — while moving the future landfill away from the Waianae Coast.
On Wednesday, the Honolulu Planning Commission extended its public comment period on delaying the deadline for choosing a landfill site. Testimony will be accepted up through an Aug. 9 contested case hearing on the issue, and vigorous public participation is likely to lead to a better outcome. Find out more at honolulu.gov/opala.
