Hawaiian county selects landfill site

The city and county of Honolulu have selected an area northwest of the town of Wahiawā as the proposed location for a new landfill on the island of Oahu, the state’s most populous island. A map of the site shows it is near a Dole pineapple plantation that is a tourist attraction.

In its announcement, Honolulu officials say they made the selection after “exhaustively" evaluating the relevant laws, regulations, rules, restrictions and equities for each potential site and acknowledge all potential landfill sites on Oahu subject to challenge.

Officials say the landfill siting decision was required before the end of the year and call it an important step toward closing the Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill (WGSL) in accordance with a 2019 decision and order by the state Land Use Commission.

“The siting of Oahu’s next landfill is an absolutely critical decision that impacts each and every person on our island,” Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi says. “For the good of our residents, we cannot and will not kick the can further down the road, because our residents deserve clarity.”

The city is proposing to design, construct and operate the new landfill in accordance with state and federal requirements, which prioritize public health and safety, including the protection of the island’s aquifer system. According to Honolulu officials, all five sites considered, including the one selected, are located above an aquifer.

After about 35 years of operation, the WGSL has not leaked through its liner into subsurface soil and rocks, the city says, and the proposed landfill “will be designed and constructed to include even greater protective measures than are in place at WGSL, incorporating the latest technological advances in waste management.”

“The city understands and acknowledges the public’s concerns and the absolute necessity to safeguard our island’s underground water supply aquifers against contamination," Honolulu Department of Environmental Services Director Dr. Roger Babcock says.

“We will ensure aquifer protection by exceeding federal and state design standards for safe operations and regulations for monitoring solid waste landfills, building instead to a higher level of protection that would typically only be required for the creation of a hazardous waste facility.”

Those design features will include a multiple-barrier subsurface monitoring and protection system designed to prevent the escape of any pollutants from the landfill, according to the city.

“We are extremely confident that we can operate a landfill safely over the aquifer, and by doing so, we are able to site our next landfill further away from where our residents live, where they take their kids to school and where they receive medical care,” Blangiardi says.

If the Wahiawā site is rejected, the city says it will be forced to seek legislative changes that would enable siting a landfill closer to residences, schools or hospitals than is currently allowed by Hawaiian law Act 73.

“Should the proposed Wahiawā site be rejected and the Hawaii state legislature decline to amend Act 73, the city will have no choice but to seek an extension of current landfill operations at Waimānalo Gulch, something the city administration opposes,” Blangiardi says.

The city of Honolulu says it will undertake a comprehensive public engagement campaign, including community meetings and outreach to city council representatives, legislators and neighborhood boards.

A post-announcement report from Hawaii Public Radio indicates opposition may come from the Honolulu Board of Water Supply and at least one city council member.

The radio network quotes a water department staff member as saying, “We did make comments two years ago actually not approving the location of landfills above our drinking water aquifer in accordance to our rules and regulations. My focus is very narrow. We need water for life.”

Honolulu Councilmember Matt Weyer, who represents the Wahiawā area, tells Hawaii Public Radio he is disappointed in the decision again, saying, “Protecting our drinking water should be our top priority.”